Arsenal of Words
by Riku-Rocks
Summary: This is a series of oneshots based off word prompts. Anyone can send in three seperate words. Stories will vary in length, theme, characters used and pairings. See my profile page for details or just read. Spoilers. Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts
1. Ice Water

_Prompt: Ice Water_

_Given by: Candistar26_

_Setting: Destiny Islands, Post-KHII_

_Pairings: None_

* * *

"Hello Kairi," Greeted Sora's mother when she opened the door to find the auburn-haired girl on the front step. "Come in, dear. I'm afraid Sora _still_ isn't up. I've hollered for him five times already." 

The teen chuckled as she entered the house. "That lazy bum… We're going to be late for school…and it's only his first week back!"

"I know…and I'm running late too," agreed the kind woman. Then she turned to the stairs and called, "Sora! Kairi's here!"

Both paused for a moment to listen, but could hear no signs of movement from upstairs.

"Why don't you go ahead, Mrs. Hiruma," offered Kairi with a smile. "I can handle Sora."

"Are you sure?" asked Mrs. Hiruma, earning a casual nod from the girl. "Oh, thank you dear. I really don't want to trouble you, but I cannot be late to work again."

"It's fine. It's not the first time I've had to prod him along," assured Kairi as she waved goodbye to the exiting woman. "Have a nice day!"

"You too, Kairi," replied Mrs. Hiruma on her way down the front walk.

Kairi closed the door and shouted up the stairs as she set the timer on her watch. "Sora! You have five minutes!"

As an indistinguishable noise sounded from somewhere above her, the blue-eyed girl walked into the kitchen and moved a bottle of water from the fridge into the freezer. She always preferred her water to be freezing cold, to where most people could not even drink it without choking.

Then she sat at the kitchen table and flipped through one of Mrs. Hiruma's catalogues while she waited.

After the alarm on her watch went off, she put the catalogues back where she found it and got the water bottle out of the freezer. There was a thin layer of ice around the edges. With a well aimed flick to the side of the bottle, the ice shattered and spread throughout the cool water.

The girl sighed and took a sip as she listened for any sign of life from her friend upstairs. She may as well have been the only person in the house.

With another sigh, she headed up the stairs.

"Sora, you better be up!" she called just as she reached the door to his bedroom.

She crept open the door and peered inside to find the spiky-haired boy spread out on his bed, snoring slightly.

"Sora Hiruma!" she said crossly as she approached the sleeping boy.

He snorted once, and then turned over.

Kairi rolled her eyes wondering how the boy had survived all that time against the Heartless when he could sleep through a hurricane.

"Sora…" she called in a sing-song voice. "It's time to get up…"

Still no signs of consciousness from the boy.

She decided to try a new tactic, "I brought your favourite pop-tarts…"

No sound issued from the slumbering boy; however, a familiar voice called from downstairs.

"Hello? Is anyone home?"

"Up here, Riku!" answered Kairi.

She heard nothing else until the door creaked open to reveal the silver-haired boy, who had clearly been awake for some time and was ready or school. "Sleeping Beauty still not up yet?"

"No," replied Kairi in annoyance, "And if he doesn't get up soon, we're all going to be late!"

Teal eyes quickly scanned the scene before him before he responded, "Is that your water?"

The auburn-hair girl looked at the bottle in her hand, then back at the aqua-eyed teen. A wicked grin having crept upon her face in the time it took her to do so. "Good one…"

Without further ado, she held the bottle of ice water over her sleeping friend and turned it upside down.

Sora was never late for school again.

* * *

_Author's note: This is going to be a series of oneshots, that are each based off single word prompts, which are given to me. The stories will vary in theme, pairings, and main characters. If anyone wants to send a prompt to me, go ahead. I take three per person. Thay can be any three you like, including mutliple words to describe an item or idea, such as this one (ice water) or an acronym, such as ASAP. Thanks!_


	2. SSN

_Prompt: SSN _

_Given by: Candistar26_

_Setting: Hallow Bastion Castle, during KHI_

_Pairing: Pre-Cloud/Riku_

* * *

Cloud paced the room like a caged animal. 

_What are you thinking?!_ The former SOLDIER scolded himself in his mind.

His breath -ragged to begin with- came in frantic gulps now. The blonde man could hear his heartbeat in his ears. He clenched his fists and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to calm his pulse.

_He's a kid! A kid who's being manipulated by the crazy witch even Hades won't cross! A kid who's lost his home, his friends, and his life as he knows it! A kid with really soft, fair skin and delicate bone structure… Damn it! You're sick!_

Cloud resumed his pacing.

The whole problem had started months before, right after Cloud signed that contract with Hades…

After receiving a summons, the blonde man was waiting outside of Hades' throne room when two figures approached.

One, he had seen before, and knew better than to even address. She was a tall, angular woman, with a green hue to her skin and a wicked glint to her eyes. Maleficent always sounded calm, even polite, but the former Soldier knew what she was capable of.

The other was decidedly smaller and less menacing. He was a boy in his early teens, by the look of him. His skin was lightly tanned, his shoulder-length hair was a familiar silver colour, but his eyes were a bright aquamarine that Cloud had never seen before.

The boy looked so out of place in that dark cavern, with the cruel sorceress looming over him, that Cloud could not help but wonder about him.

Maleficent strode passed the spiky-haired man without so much as a glance in his direction. "Now, wait here while I speak to my associate," she said to the boy, and glided into Hades' throne room without waiting for a reply or knocking.

The boy stood against the wall, tucked into the shadows as though he wanted nothing more than to disappear into them.

"So, are you working for Maleficent?" Cloud asked after some time had passed in silence.

The boy eyed Cloud for a moment as though determining whether it was wise to answer or not. Finally, he said, "Looks like it. You working for Hades?"

Cloud continued to watch the boy, "We have a contract... I do something for him, then he does something for me."

The boy nodded slowly. "I guess it's the same for me. I'm only working for Maleficent because she can help me."

"What do you need help with?" asked Cloud.

So many emotions crossed over the boy's face so quickly that Cloud could only discern a few of them before the boy look neutral again. Nevertheless, that had been enough. He knew the kid was scared, worried, determined, and deeply ashamed of something.

"I'm looking for my friends," the boy answered after a moment.

"Heartless?" asked Cloud. The boy nodded warily. The man decided not to inquire into it further.

However, he kept finding his gaze drifting toward the boy as they waited. He felt a swell of pity, anger, and sadness at the sight of him. _A boy like him should not be involved in this_, he thought. He also felt disappointed, because once upon a time, he would have done something about it.

Maleficent swept out of the throne room. As she passed them she said, "Come, Riku…there is still much to be done."

With a fleeting glance at Cloud, the boy -_Riku_, Cloud thought to himself- turned and hurried to catch up to the witch.

Cloud saw Riku many more times during the months that followed. With both of them under the thumbs of the two villains, it was not uncommon for them to cross paths.

They began to speak to one another more and more openly over time, and eventually they learned much of each other's history.

After he broke his contract with Hades, Cloud found himself making sure that he continued to cross paths with the teal-eyed boy.

At first, the blonde man convinced himself that he was looking out for Riku…that their talks were helping the boy who had no one else to trust and no one else to turn to. It was clear that he was in over his head, and that the darkness' constant presence and the emotional abuse he was suffering at the hands of the witch, as well as a mysterious entity known as Ansem, were taking their toll on the boy.

However, Cloud eventually realised that Riku was helping him as much as he was helping the kid. He decided to accept that they had become friends, even though he had decided to forsake friendship when he lost his light.

For a time, the situation was comfortable to Cloud…more comfortable than it probably should have been, in fact.

Then, a few hours before Cloud found himself pacing and panting through empty corridors, something happened that Cloud had not expected…although he suspected that he should have.

Cloud had met Riku in an unused part of the castle. It was obvious something was wrong with the boy. His teal eyes were frightened and downcast and his voice was shaky and quiet.

As Riku spoke about betrayed friendships, darkness, and Keyblades, Cloud could not help but notice something else that was different about the boy.

His shirt, which was usually zipped up to his jugular, was currently unzipped partially. It was not enough to be indecent or show anything that should not be visible when one is wearing a shirt, but the sight of the boy's breastbone and clavicular notches was oddly distracting to the blonde man.

At first, he merely stared as the boy's chest heaved slightly due to his quickened breathing. Then, he found himself wondering what the delicate bones, covered only by a stretch of soft flesh would feel like under his lips…his tongue…his teeth.

As the boys' breathing slowed, Cloud's own quickened. His Mako enhanced gaze trailed a path up from the supra-sternal notch, to the boy's tender throat, to the fine jaw line, and finally settled on the boy's supple mouth.

Cloud found himself wondering what sounds would pass those soft lips as his own mouth worked on the fair skin, which he was surprised to see had not been burned by the heat of his previous gaze.

Then the lips he was staring at formed his name.

"Cloud…?"

Mako eyes darted from the well-formed mouth to clear teal eyes, which were regarding him with concern.

"What's wrong?" asked Riku as those beautiful eyes flicked over Cloud, as if checking him for some sign of injury or illness. "What is it?"

"I…" Cloud looked into the young, worried face, and instantly felt a surge of longing wash over him, followed quickly by guilt. "I just remembered something…I'm sorry. I'll come back as soon as I can."

"Alright…" Riku was obviously confused and still concerned about the man. "Be careful…"

Cloud felt as though a fist clenched his heart. "I always am," And then he fled…

Cloud continued to pace the room in frustration. _What __**was**__ that? He was scared. He needed me…and I- I was checking out a fifteen-year-old._

The former SOLDIER was not sure what he had a problem with more, that he had just abandoned a friend, that he had even allowed himself to grow so attached to the boy to begin with, or that he was feeling something he should not be for a kid who was far too young.

_He is very mature for his age though, and he has handled himself better than most adults would in his situation. Even still…it's illegal, and I shouldn't be getting involved with anyone right now…especially Riku. He has enough to deal with._

Cloud ceased his pacing and took a deep breath. He knew he needed to calm down; after all, it was not as though he had actually _done_ those things to the boy.

He leaned against the nearest wall and crossed his arms over his chest. Tifa used to call it his brooding position. Zack had called it his moping stance. Aerith referred to it as his thinking pose. Leon said it was his decisive stance.

For the first time in months, Cloud was really thinking that he should have kept in touch. One of his friends (if he could still call them that) would have an idea of how to handle this situation.

Riku had tried to urge Cloud to speak to his friends on more than one occasion, and the blonde man was beginning to think that he should have paid more attention to the boy's arguments. The kid knew what it was to lose everyone…and here was Cloud, pushing those who cared for him -those he cared for- away.

_That kid and I are perfect for each other._ Cloud took another deep breath and allowed that thought to completely penetrate his mind.

_We both are wrapped up in this darkness…and we've helped each other avoid becoming lost to it so far. And if he's mature enough to withstand this…he's mature enough to make his own decisions._

With a decisive nod to no one, Cloud pushed away from the wall and walked as quickly as he could to return to the place where he left Riku. Hoping that the boy would still be there…and knowing he would find the boy if he was not.

As he all but ran down the corridors, Cloud felt lighter than he had in years.

* * *

_Author's note: Did you know that the acronym SSN has 27 possible meanings? I didn't either until I recieved this prompt. The one I chose is Suprasternal notch, for those who didn't catch that._


	3. Contradiction

_Prompt: Contradiction_

_Given by: Candistar26_

_Setting: During KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

After sending Kairi to Sora's new friends (-_the same friends Roxas had in the virtual town_- Riku noted with a sense of irony), the silver-haired boy watched the fiery Nobody disappear into a dark portal. 

DiZ had told Riku about the Nobodies and Organization XIII, and at the time, Riku thought his explanations made a lot of sense…

Now, he was not so sure.

He accepted that these beings had no hearts; however, he was having a hard time believing that they truly felt no emotions.

He believed it of the dusks and other lower Nobodies, and even most members of the Organization seemed to only show the emotions they _thought _they should be feeling, but Axel…he was different.

Riku saw in him a fierce determination…one that the normally teal-eyed boy knew very well, as it was the same determination he felt while trying to save his friends.

However, if Axel felt no emotions, then where did that determination come from?

In Riku, it came from the love he felt for his friends, the concern he felt for their wellbeing, the guilt he felt at his past actions, and the shame he felt for allowing himself to be so misled.

If Axel could not feel any of these things, then why was he fighting so hard to get his "best friend" back? Why was he willing to give up nearly as much as Riku was in order to do so?

Riku felt pity for Roxas when he had brought the blonde Nobody back to DiZ. Even though he fought so hard and gave up so much of himself to bring the Nobody in, Riku still did not feel that anyone deserved to disappear as DiZ thought number XIII would. Riku had only done it because Sora needed his Nobody in order to awaken, and the silver-haired teen was determined to save Sora.

Now, as he wandered through the darkness alone, Riku could not help but feel a swell of pity for Axel as well.

They both wanted the same thing…to prevent their best friend from simply disappearing. However, only one could have that.

Even though there was no animosity between them, it seemed that he and Axel were competing in a sense. The 'prize' was each of their best friends, who was technically the same person, and yet was not at the same time.

Naminé looked at the situation differently. She believed that Roxas was half of Sora, and that by merging with his 'other', the blonde Nobody, as well as Sora, would become whole again…the way they should be.

That was a nice thought, and Riku believed that there was some truth to the theory, just as there was some truth to Diz's explanations. Nevertheless, he knew that it was not so cut and dry.

Roxas was not Sora. He looked a lot like him, moved in a similar fashion, had an extreme nature reminiscent of the brunette, and could even wield a Keyblade…but Riku knew Sora, and Roxas was not him.

He supposed that Roxas was more of a contrast of Sora's personality, than an echo of it. That the qualities which were so prominent in the Nobody existed in Sora, but were simply not as pronounced as others were.

Then, another thought came to Riku. If Roxas will be whole again, once he merged with Sora, then what about Axel? There was not any 'other' to merge with as far as Riku knew.

Was Axel doomed to return to nothingness as DiZ surmised? Riku hoped not. Someone who cared for his friend so much deserved better in Riku's opinion.

The whole contradiction of beings without hearts having emotions and emotional bonds was unnerving to the teen. The Heartless were easy to fight, because all you were truly destroying was a lingering piece of darkness, left over from a heart that had already been destroyed. The other villains he and Sora had fought were hardly any better, having allowed the darkness to penetrate their hearts completely.

Destroying a being made from nothing was simple enough, but if they could truly feel, as Axel seemed to…what then? It was not his fault that he was such an entity.

Riku released a heavy sigh and opened another portal to another world that would never even know he had helped save it from the darkness. In a way, he felt that he was even more like Axel than anyone would have guessed. For he felt that he too, might as well be nothing for the time being.

He wondered if Axel was as afraid to lose himself as he was. Or if the redhead even _felt_ at all.

Whether Axel and Roxas felt for not, there was nothing to be done about it. Riku was going to help Sora…

He only wished the price were not so high.


	4. Absolution

_Prompt: Absolution_

_Given by: Twilight Kyu_

_Setting: During KHII _

_Pairing: None_

* * *

DiZ, as he called himself now, looked over the data on the screen before him. It had not changed at all since his last viewing…just as he suspected.

The witch was not progressing as they had hoped. Something was amiss in his plan, and he had a feeling he knew what that was.

If his assumptions were correct, as they usually were, then Sora had become a Heartless at some point during his travels. If this were the case, then the boy had a Nobody. That Nobody held half of Sora's power.

If DiZ were going to execute his vengeance, then the Nobody would have to give that power back.

The man, who was once renowned for his wisdom, had become obsessed with revenge.

He was so focused on it, that he was blind to everything else. He did not notice all the time the blindfolded boy, who had become a great asset to him, spent gazing at the chamber that held his slumbering best friend. He did not notice the fear in his new ally, or the concern in the young witch.

The old sage knew that he was no match for a member of Organization XIII; that had been the whole reason he made this plan. He needed the Keyblade wielding hero if he were to destroy the remains of his unfaithful apprentices.

Therefore, the logical conclusion was to send Riku, who had already defeated some of the Organization's members, as well as Xehanort's Heartless, and the darkness itself.

Riku was not interested in vengeance, praise, or power. The only thing that seemed of any concern to the boy was saving his friend. So it came as little surprise to DiZ that, once he told the blindfolded teen what was needed to save Sora, the silver-haired boy left without a word.

DiZ then returned his focus to his plans. He never worried for the boy. The remarkable child had managed to find all the support he needed in the hope he discovered beyond his suffering. In fact, that hope had allowed him to stand his ground and turn his greatest weakness into a powerful weapon when men who would have been considered far stronger than he would have been brought to their knees in despair.

When Riku returned, his form was larger then it should have been and he wore a hood pulled over his face. His voice had also changed. It was strangely familiar to DiZ, but the man decided to focus on the task at hand for the time being. For Riku had seceded in bringing Roxas.

When DiZ explained to Riku what was to happen next, he was surprised at the pity the boy expressed for the Nobody.

Then, later, when all was going according to plan, DiZ found that he did not feel the relief or pleasure that he expected he would.

When the boy finally lowered his hood and introduced himself as Ansem, and DiZ found himself staring into _that_ face, DiZ felt a shame so powerful it overwhelmed his lust for revenge.

His vengeance had claimed its first victim.

All he could do was laugh at his own foolishness.

When Sora returned to action, so did Riku. The silver-haired teen wished DiZ luck and asked him never to tell Sora what happened to him, should they ever meet. The boy was content to assist his friend and save the worlds from the shadows…while DiZ had only thought of himself.

The sage realised that while he had aimed for revenge, what he truly needed was absolution. He decided to take a leaf out of Riku's book. He began working in secret on a device that he hoped would end this ceaseless battle between dark and light once and for all.

Some time later, DiZ had been thankful for the opportunity to speak his dear friend Mickey again…to explain himself before he end. Sora and his companions had found his reports…that was a relief as well. He hoped that others might learn from his errors.

When the device began to falter, DiZ laughed at his foolishness once more.

He still did not understand the workings of the heart…even after watching a handful of the strongest in existence.

He apologised to Mickey, Sora, and even Roxas, but when it came to Riku, his voice caught.

"Riku…"

_I am sorry. I did not intend for this. I was a fool._

However, any of this would have been pointless to say. The boy's wisdom had surpassed his, for he had learned from his past mistakes, while DiZ had not. The child had not searched for revenge, absolution, or redemption. The teen knew better than he did.

"You know what to do."

In addition, DiZ thought that the one thing he had done right over the past year was to teach Riku all that he could about machines, computers, science, biology, and the heart. He had not done this for the right reasons, but it had been right…for Riku did know what to do.

As the machine reached its limit, DiZ saw the boy move to protect his friends.

The sage's last conscious thought was not to hope for himself…but for one who deserved all he had strived for and more.


	5. Life

_Prompt: Life_

_Given by: Twilight Kyu_

_Setting: Destiny Islands, Pre KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Kairi closed her locker just as Selphie and Penelo approached.

"Hey, ready to go?" asked the blonde.

"Yep," answered Kairi as she flung her bag over her shoulder.

"I cannot believe the assignment Mr. Rodger gave us for the weekend," complained Selphie.

"Uh, Selphie…?" said Penelo. "We have to write a report on aquatic life…and we live on an island. I don't think it's going to be that hard."

Kairi giggled. "Yeah, I mean…there's a whole section on our local waters and its wildlife in the library."

"But it's the _weekend_," whined Selphie, "And it's a _long _report."

"You're just annoyed because it means you'll have less time with Tidus on Saturday," commented the auburn-haired girl.

The three friends continued chatting and giggling as they left the school and headed towards their homes.

All of the girls grew quiet, however, as they passed the town memorial for those lost during the Heartless attack on Destiny Islands several months prior. Everyone knew that something had happened to the entire world just after that, but very few could remember any details. What they did know, was that not everyone had been found after everything returned to normal. After a few months, they were presumed dead, and the mayor had proposed his idea for the memorial.

"How do we know that they're really dead?" asked Kairi quietly.

"I don't believe it," responded Penelo.

"I don't either, but what could have happened to them? questioned Selphie.

"I think Riku used to talk about other worlds that are out there…" Kairi sounded far away. For some reason, everyone's memories of the silver-haired boy were hazy since the Heartless incident.

"You think they might be on another world?" asked Selphie.

"Well, if I were going to believe that anyone found a way to get to different worlds, it would have been Riku," said Penelo.

"Yeah," Kairi agreed, sounding surer now. "Riku used to want to see other worlds. I think…I think he was trying to find a way…before everything happened."

"Well…it's better than assuming he's dead," commented Selphie. "I wonder if his parents are with him."

Kairi looked pensive again for a moment. "Wasn't there someone else…? I keep thinking that Riku was with someone…during the times I can't remember him."

"Yeah…" Penelo seemed to be straining to remember something. "He sparred with someone…"

"He sparred with everyone," said Selphie. "Tidus, Wakka, and I took him on three to one several times…we never could beat him."

"But he never hung out with any of us that much," said Penelo.

"He was a loner. So what?" asked Selphie.

"No…he had a best friend," corrected Kairi, looking confused. "I think that's who he was with during the times we can't remember."

Penelo blinked as though awakening from a dream, "But…there aren't any other kids missing."

"Yeah, besides, we would remember if there was another kid our age that used to live here." Selphie watched Kairi with a hint of concern for her friend. "They would have gone to school with us, lived near us, played on the islets with us. How could we just forget them?"

"You're right," Kairi smiled at her friends. "Sorry, it's just weird that we can't remember what happened for all that time."

"I know," Penelo clasped her hands behind her back and wore a thoughtful expression. "I remember a strange tempest…and those creatures, then everything goes dark. The next thing I remember is waking up here and wondering if it was just a bad dream."

Selphie nodded, "Same here. I was sitting in my room when the storm hit, and then this strange dark…_thing_ appeared over the islets, and then…" the brunette shrugged, "nothing."

"I remember the squall, but then everything gets fuzzy and then goes blank." Kairi tilted her head thoughtfully. "Do we know anyone named Leon?"

Both of her friends thought for a moment, and then Penelo shook her head while Selphie said, "I don't think so."

"Hmm…I wonder why I suddenly thought of that name," Kairi shrugged. "So how do you think you did on the history quiz?"

"I think I did well," said Penelo. "I might have messed up on that last question though."

"Yeah, that one was tough," responded Kairi.

"Do we have to talk about school?" asked Selphie. "Hey, why don't we meet at the coffee shop on Sunday?"

"Aren't you going to need to study on Sunday?" asked Penelo. "We've got practice today, Tidus tomorrow, you told your mother you would clean your room this weekend, and you have a paper to write. Plus, you know we're going to end up hanging out on the islet or at the mall sometime."

"I can clean my room tonight after practice, study before the game tomorrow -I'm not meeting Tidus until after anyway-, write the report Sunday morning, and then have one of you look it over for me on Sunday," answered the brunette with a winning smile.

Both Kairi and Penelo chuckled. "I'll check your grammar, but I'm not going to correct it if you get your facts wrong," answered the blonde.

"Yeah, if you're not going to take the time to study, then you're not going to get a good grade," agreed Kairi.

Selphie sighed, "_Fine_."

"What if all bring our research materials to the coffee shop on Sunday and write our assignments together?" offered Kairi.

Selphie's smile returned, "Great!"

"That sounds good," concurred Penelo. "Do you want to meet in the library on Saturday morning, Kairi?"

"Alright," said the auburn-haired girl with a nod. "Ten o'clock sound good?"

"Yeah," Penelo agreed before she turned to Selphie, "My brother is picking me up from practice tonight, do you want a ride home?"

"Sure," Selphie's smile turned into an odd grin. "You're brother is so-"

"I told you, I don't want to hear it," interrupted the blonde.

Kairi laughed along with her friends as they continued their daily walk home.

She still had a feeling there was something important they were forgetting, but she knew it would all be sorted out soon enough.

In the meantime, life goes on.


	6. Shadow

_Prompt: Shadow_

_Given by: Twilight Kyu_

_Setting: Radiant Garden, post KHII_

_Pairing: Cloud/Riku_

* * *

Teal eyes were just about ready to drift closed for the night when they suddenly snapped open again as the body they belonged to sat up in alarm.

A shadow moved in the corner of the room.

Riku was out of bed in a heartbeat, muscles tense and barely breathing.

The shadow moved again.

Narrowed eyes that were quite used to seeing in darkness followed the movement.

They settled on the room's only window. The curtains had parted a few inches to expose part of the street outside, where a bat flew through the night air. It darted and dove across the new streetlamp across the road from the window, casting an odd fluttery shadow through the window and into the room.

Riku released a tired and aggravated breath.

It was getting ridiculous. The silver-haired boy had not gotten a decent night's sleep in over a year. He had developed this irritating sleeping pattern during his time in the darkness; he would fail to fall asleep due to a subconscious that reacted to every shadow and then he would wake several times a night because of his nightmares. Then he would have difficulties in falling asleep again, because his half-asleep mind saw heartless and worse in every darkened corner of whatever room he was in at the time.

Riku sighed and turned to look at the clock. It was a little after four in the morning. He moved across the room and pulled the curtains together tightly. Then the tired sixteen-year-old slumped back down on the bed. His eyes burned, his stomach clenched, and his body ached from tensed muscles and lack of sleep.

Sora had suggested a visit to Radiant Garden two days before, and Riku had hoped that the change in scenery might help with this problem when he went to bed that evening. He had though that, perhaps, seeing the place where these fears had began would make his subconscious realise that it was over, or that being surrounded by people who knew about the heartless (and who could easily fight them) would.

Yet here he was, on his second night there and he was lucky if he would get eight hours of sleep by the end of the week.

His eyes began to drift closed again and then a shadow moved across his narrowing line of vision. He started awake and his stomach clenched tighter.

There actually was another option the teen had yet to consider fully.

When Cloud asked if he would like to stay in the guest room or his room, Riku chose the guest room because he was embarrassed to admit that he was afraid of shadows in the night. The aqua-eyed boy was also afraid that he would keep Cloud up, and there was no reason for both of them to lose sleep over his childish fear.

Riku finally managed to fall asleep, only to wake up about an hour and a half later. He waited until seven to leave the room, not wanting Cloud to suspect anything.

"Whoa, didn't you get any sleep?" Cloud apparently suspected anyway.

Riku's sleep deprived mind could not come up with an excuse so he decided to buy some time. "Er…What makes you ask?"

"Well, either you haven't slept in days," answered Cloud in a very sincere tone, "…Or one of those damn fairy-things snuck in and punched you in each eye last night."

"I guess I'm just having trouble sleeping after travelling," Riku lied more easily now that his brain was waking up. "I've never travelled by gummi ship before, you know."

"Oh," Cloud watched the teal-eyed boy pour both of them some orange juice with a look of contemplation. "Well, hopefully you'll catch up tonight. After how much we have planned for today, I'm sure you'll be worn out enough to just pass out."

"Yeah, probably," Riku sipped his juice and avoided eye contact for the rest of the morning.

The day went well; Riku kept up with everyone and never seemed tired. Anyone who inquired about the dark circles around his eyes heard the same story Cloud had been told.

Riku felt bad about lying, but telling the truth would not help and he did not want anyone to worry about him.

So that night, he lay awake again around two in the morning with his stomach clenched, muscles painfully tense, eyes burning, and both body and mind exhausted. His teal eyes drifting and then snapping open again moments later due to shadows or nightmares.

Finally, Riku decided to get a drink of water. Not that he was thirsty, but he could not handle just lying there in a tight ball any longer.

As he reached the end of the hall, he heard a creak and saw another shadow drift across the wall. He spun around as his muscles contracted even further somehow.

"Riku?" said Cloud in a calming tone. He had just opened his bedroom door after Riku passed it. "Are you alright?"

"I…I was just going to get a drink," mumbled Riku.

Cloud blinked and stared at his boyfriend for a moment. "Alright…that's it. Come here."

Without any further ado, Cloud took a couple steps forward and grabbed Riku by the upper arms. Suddenly, both froze in place.

"Riku…What's wrong?" Cloud lightened his grip but did not let go. "You're as stiff as a board…and you're trembling..."

"You just startled me is all," answered the silver-haired teen.

"This is not from being startled." Cloud responded firmly. "Is this why you look like you haven't slept in days? What's going on? Why haven't you said anything?"

Riku shrugged as well as he could in his current position, not trusting himself to speak just now.

"Riku…" Mako blue eyes bore into tired teal. "Talk to me."

"I…er…" Riku took a deep breath and lowered his gaze. He felt like a five year old, but he was too tired to care very much…and he certainly was too tired to argue. He did not really want to anyway. "Cloud…?"

"Yeah?" Cloud moved his hands to Riku's shoulders and bent his head down in an attempt to see some of his face past the silver veil of hair that now obscured it.

"Can I sleep with you tonight?" Riku asked quietly.

Cloud blinked a few times in confusion. "Of course…" he then added flatly, "But you're explaining everything in the morning."

"Okay," Riku answered as he allowed his boyfriend to guide him into his bedroom.

Cloud pulled the weary teen under the covers with him, and then gathered him in his arms. He stroked the narrow and far-too-tense shoulders and back as the teal-eyed boy rested his head against his chest.

Riku inhaled the familiar scent of Cloud, and felt himself relaxing in the warm embrace, even in the darkened room.

Within minutes, his eyes drifted shut and he fell fast asleep.

Riku woke up around noon the following day, in the exact same position in Cloud's arms. He looked at the blonde man, who was already awake and staring down at him.

"Good morning," Riku said with an easy mile.

"Good morning," Cloud returned both greeting and smile. "Now, I believe you owe me an explanation?"

So Riku spilled everything. Cloud's expression changed from shock to concern and finally to understanding as Riku finished.

"So…does this mean you'll be sleeping with me from now on?" The spiky haired man asked with a grin when the teen completed his explanation.

Riku smiled as he looked up to meet Cloud's eyes, "For as long as you'll let me."

"I think I can be persuaded to let you for a very long time," replied Cloud. "Just as long as you promise not to keep something like this from me again…deal?"

"Deal."


	7. Jealous

_Prompt: Jealous_

_Given by: Akemi-Chan _

_Setting: KHII Ending_

_Pairing: Kairi/Sora (possibly one-sided) and hints of possible Sora/Riku (one-sided)._

* * *

When Saix appeared before Kairi and Naminè, The auburn-haired girl thought that was it. They were not fighters after all, not the way Sora and Riku were. 

Abruptly, another man arrived in a black coat with his hood pulled tight over his face…and if Kairi had been worried before, she was downright terrified now.

Then, Naminè spoke; "We'll let you take it from here…Riku."

Kairi could not believe it. Again, Riku had found her first. Riku…whom everyone knew had _no_ interest in Kairi beyond that of simple friendship. Well, everyone except for Sora.

Somehow, despite the fact that he was the only one particularly close to Riku, Sora was the only one who never noticed his best friend's lack of interest in the fairer sex…And was also the only one who took the teal-eyed boy's teasing seriously.

Kairi always enjoyed that actually, because if Sora could become jealous over her and Riku, then maybe he really did return her feelings for him. Her mother always said that love tended to blind people.

She remembered one of their last days together on their island and the amusement in Riku's voice when he told her that Sora actually thought he was serious when he said that the winner of their little race would share a Paopu with Kairi. She tried to get Sora to express some interest later on the docks, but that had not worked out. The boy could be so clueless sometimes.

Her focus returned to the present when she noticed that Saix had fled from Riku, and the silver-haired teen (who seemed considerably larger than he should be) made to go after him.

Kairi managed to stop Riku from leaving, but he would not lower his hood, which Kairi found odd, so she did it herself.

Time seemed to freeze as she looked upon a body that was clearly _not Riku's_, and yet, she knew it was him. Time caught up with her when a stray thought surfaced in her mind…

_Well, that explains why he's bigger than he should be._

Then Kairi and Riku set off to find Sora together.

Kairi vaguely wondered where Naminè had gone, but thoughts of finally being reunited with her friends outweighed that concern.

When she and Sora were reunited, Kairi decided that perhaps it was best to show her own feelings first, since Sora did not appear any more willing to make a move than the last time she had seen him.

She felt an odd combination of joy and disappointment when he hesitantly returned the loose embrace.

Then, he pulled away from her to address Riku, whom he did not even know _was _Riku.

Kairi could not believe it when Riku tried to leave again…but that failed to compare to the shock she felt when she convinced Sora that it was Riku.

Did _Riku_ get an awkward hug? No, Sora practically clung to _Riku's_ hand as he fell to his knees and actually cried. Not a few stray tears that she could explain away as simple relief that his best friend was okay…no, Sora was sobbing and muttering. She heard him say _Riku's_ name a few times with some other words she couldn't make out, and then he cried about how he looked for _Riku_ everywhere, and why didn't _Riku_ let him know that he was okay?

As she watched, Kairi found herself wondering if perhaps Sora had not been jealous for the reasons that she had assumed…after all, her mother always said that love tended to blind people.

Then, that goofy-looking dog and duck started talking about how _Riku_ had been helping Sora the whole time, and what a good pal _Riku_ must be to Sora if he was willing to give up his form to help him.

As soon as all of that was understood among the guys (Kairi was still a little lost on the details), Sora turned to _Riku _to find out what they needed to do next. Sora was determined to finish the battle, so that_ Riku_ could return home with them.

Kairi was not angry with _Riku_, but she had to admit, she was starting to get just a little jealous herself.

When an old man whom _Riku_ called both DiZ and Ansem the Wise, told them that the strange machine he was using against the moon that looked like a heart was going to self destruct, and that 'anything could happen', Kairi held back the walking-talking mouse that the others were calling The King. Meanwhile, _Riku_ moved before Sora and shielded him -all of them, really, the logical part of her mind tried to reason- with his own body.

When they all awoke, scattered on the ground after the explosion, the first thing Kairi was aware of was Sora crying out for _Riku. _Then, she saw Sora run to _Riku_ and fall to his knees beside the other boy once again.

Kairi was distracted from her growing jealousy for a moment, when Riku sat up and he was their Riku again. After all, he was still her friend, and it was not Riku's fault that he had perfect hair, gorgeous eyes, flawless skin, -and when did _Riku _become a bishōnen? - …okay, the jealousy was back.

Again, Sora turned to _Riku_ for guidance…and, naturally, _Riku _knew just what to do.

When Kairi and the mouse king were separated from Sora and _Riku_, she felt both relieved (because, honestly, she knew she was not going to be much help in a battle) and jealous (because, once again, she was left behind).

When she first caught up with them again, she was distracted from these thoughts because they had won. They could go home. Then thee mouse king ran over to where Sora and _Riku_ had slipped to the side and announced that they had to hurry.

Apparently, in returning to his bishie form, _Riku_'s heart had returned to its unique and intriguing mix of light and darkness…meaning _Riku_ could still use some dark abilities, but not the one that would get them out of there. _Riku_ didn't belong in the dark realm anymore…how special.

When Naminè opened a dark portal for them, and Kairi was able to see Naminè and Roxas interact, she decided that perhaps she had jumped to conclusions a little too quickly, and decided to try to express her interest once again in a subtle fashion. Riku unknowingly reinforced that thought by explaining to Sora that they were all still them.

Then, of course, the portal closed behind her, leaving Sora with _Riku_.

After another long battle and bonding experience, Sora and _Riku_ finally returned to the islands somehow.

Kairi called out to both of them, because they were both still her friends, after all. She did however notice that Sora turned to check on _Riku_ before swimming toward her.

As Donald and Goofy prevented Sora from reaching her first, Kari could not help but notice how sweet it was that Rikucaught and hugged his mouse friend before giving a nervous looking Sora an encouraging nod.

When Sora released a nervous chuckle and simply stated, 'we're back', Kairi smiled and offered him a hand.

She was surprised when the hand that met hers also pressed her lucky charm into her palm.

While Sora smiled and babbled about something immediately after standing, Riku caught Kairi's eye and offered her a smirk and a nod that almost looked like a small bow.

Kairi's smile brightened to match Sora's then, as she thought that perhaps she did not have any reason to be jealous after all…and maybe she had not been as nonchalant about her feelings in the World That Never Was as she thought she had.

But then, her mother always said that love tended to blind people.

Kairi decided that jealousy did too.


	8. Gorgeous

_Prompt: Gorgeous_

_Given by: Akemi-Chan_

_Setting: Pre KHII_

_Pairing: Cloud/Riku_

* * *

"He's gorgeous…" Cloud said as soon as he returned from his 'meeting' with the mysterious teenager.

"So…?" asked Leon, raising an eyebrow at his friend's astonished expression. "You've said he was beautiful since you finally started talking about him."

"Yes, he's been _beautiful _since the day I met him," said Cloud as though this should be obvious, "but now he's just _gorgeous_."

"Well, what changed?" inquired Yuffie.

"I- I don't know," answered Cloud, looking perplexed. "It must just be that he's changed gradually enough for me not to notice that it was happening. I mean, yeah, I noticed his hair was getting longer, his skin got a lot fairer, and of course he's gained a few inches in height…but, _wow_."

"Well, he is just a kid," said Leon, who never passed an opportunity to tease his friend about his new romantic interest's youth. "People tend to change a lot during adolescence…and not just in appearance."

"I know, he's gotten so _calm_," said Cloud with a sort of reverent tone. "He was always mature, but it's like he's found his centre sometime since we first met."

"Gee, I wonder what it could be," said Aerith quietly with a small smile.

"So, he's more than just a pretty face, then?" question Yuffie.

"Of course he is; his personality is beautiful too," Cloud responded irritably. "He's witty and smart, he's an excellent swordsman -you guys should see him in action-, he's loyal to his friends, he's not selfish at all, and he's got to be one of the strongest people I have ever met."

"I thought he was sort of scrawny," said Yuffie.

"Yeah, he sounded pretty slight of build before, but then, some kids are just like that," commented Leon with a smirk.

Cloud glared at the grey-eyed man before turning to Yuffie. "He _is_ really slender; I meant he's emotionally strong."

"Oh," responded Yuffie with a slow nod. "So you got yourself a bishie."

Cloud now glared at her too. "Don't talk about him like that."

"Do you really think it's just that _he's _changed so much?" asked Aerith kindly before their spiky-haired friend could get too angry.

"What else would it be?" asked Cloud. "I know _I_ haven't changed."

"Actually, you have," commented Leon.

"A little bit, yeah," agreed Yuffie.

"I'm sure that Riku has changed, as Leon pointed out, he is at that age," said Aerith in a soothing tone that made the age reference sound less bothersome than when Leon said it. "But don't you think it's possible that the way you're seeing him had changed as well?"

"No, he honestly had gotten gorgeous," answered Cloud; "Why would I be seeing him differently now anyway?"

"I don't doubt that he's gorgeous," Aerith said in an agreeable tone. "However, you started talking about him differently before this discovery, and as the others have pointed out, you have changed…He's changed you, and for the better, I would say."

When she did not hear an answer, Aerith looked up from the flowers she had been arranging and saw her three friends staring at her. Yuffie looked confused, Leon seemed to be in agreement with her, and Cloud appeared curious.

Fighting the urge to sigh, Aerith smiled and focused her attention on Cloud. "Think about it; since you found him again -and by the way, I've never seen you that worried before-, you've seemed happier, lighter, and you don't hide from us anymore."

Cloud's brows furrowed slightly. "Well, of course I worried; he was manipulated and possessed, who wouldn't worry?"

"So you've just been relieved since you found each other again?" asked Aerith. "Or does being with him make you this happy? And why did you suddenly decide to stop running from us?"

"He does make me happy. He believes in me…and he makes me believe too. If he could escape the darkness after everything he's been through, then so can I," answered Cloud thoughtfully. "And after seeing how hard he fought to help his friends, and how much he worries that he's not going to be accepted by them now…I guess I realised that it was pretty foolish of me to avoid mine."

"That's good," said Aerith with a knowing smile. "Why do you think he affects you this way?"

Cloud paused for a moment, his brows knitted together in thought, and then they both shot up as his eyes registered surprise for a moment.

Aerith smiled and patted his cheek. "That's why you suddenly noticed that he's gorgeous."

Yuffie tilted her head, "I don't get it."

"I'll explain on the way to Tifa's," said Aerith as she walked away.

"Oh yeah, I forgot we we're supposed to meet her," said Yuffie as she followed the calm woman. She waved to Cloud and Leon as they left, "Catch you guys later!"

Leon chuckled at the sight of Cloud's awed expression. "Come on, we should see if Cid needs any help with the new defence mechanism."

Cloud stood still for a moment, before a small smile touched his lips.

Cid dropped his cigarette out of his mouth in surprise when Cloud followed Leon into the small house.

"Leon, why is Spiky smiling?" He asked once he stomped out the cigarette.

Leon smirked as he answered, "Because the kid he just realised he's in love with is gorgeous."


	9. Mama

_Prompt: Mama_

_Given by: Akemi-Chan_

_Setting: Er… AU KHII._

_Pairing: None_

* * *

_He held the infant in his arms as he walked through the facility. The tiny child turned his silvered head back and forth as curious teal eyes tried to take in everything. _

_This caused him to smile; his child truly was remarkable. _

_He just hoped that these scientists could figure out what was wrong with him before his son was old enough to be affected by his sometimes-strange behaviour._

_Then it happened; he walked into the room where __**she**__ was contained…And as he spoke to a man there, the baby just stared at __**her**_

_He looked back down at his only true source of pride and joy, and the infant grasped his jaw with one tiny hand to turn his head toward __**her**_

_Then the baby used his other miniscule hand to point at __**her**__ before saying one word that he had never uttered before._

"_**Mama**__."_

_It broke his heart to do it, but the child had to be sent away for his own safety._

_Later, he would worry about whether that had been the right thing to do, and of course, whether his son was happy and healthy. Sometimes, he even wondered if the boy would remember him, although he did not think that was possible._

_However, his sometimes-strange behaviour started occurring more often…strange eventually turned to frightening, and before the end of the terrible events it caused, he had long since stopped thinking about the boy. He could not even remember his child's name._

As Sephiroth stood looking over the dark depths, he was remembering the scene he had not thought of in nearly fifteen years.

Even still…he instantly found himself wondering about the fate of his son. Had he survived the recent terrors that the Heartless inflicted among the worlds? Was he safe? Was he happy? Did he remember his father? Was that even possible? He had been so young…

A sound behind the one winged angel caused him to cease these ponderings as he turned to face whoever was so foolish as to interrupt this moment of reflection.

"You again," he said as he faced the Keyblade wielding brat.

For some reason, the spiky-haired kid would not stop challenging him. Sephiroth would have expected anyone to figure out that they could not kill him by now. However, this child was relentless.

Sephiroth wondered why the adolescent felt the need to challenge him of all people. He was not involved with the Heartless, after all. Shouldn't the Keyblade wielder have better things to do?

Sometimes, he suspected that it was not truly himself whom the boy was determined to match in power.

When he was bored, and decided to go easy on the boy to see what he could do, the youth seemed almost happy…as though he were merely sparring with a particularly gifted friend. Other times, when Sephiroth wanted the boy to quickly realise that he could not win; the adolescent became even more determined to hold his ground.

In a way, Sephiroth admired that, however, he decided it was time to teach the boy what it meant to truly duel him.

Sephiroth quickly established himself as the better swordsman.

Normally, when the boy had obviously been bested, Sephiroth would leave him, and ignore the signs that the child was crying quietly. Today however, he decided to push further. He did not intend to kill the boy, but he would make sure the youth was more reluctant to bother him in the future.

Soon, the spiky-haired brunette was on the ground, unarmed and unable to move very much.

Sephiroth raised Masamune to strike the boy one last time for good measure, when suddenly, another body appeared in a flash of light and a strange sword blocked his own just before a slender leg snapped out and kicked him.

He heard a smooth, low alto call "Sora", and vaguely noticed that the teen on the ground was bathed in a soft green light. Then, what appeared to be an anthropomorphic dog and duck carried the spiky-haired boy into the Crystal Fissure.

The duel against this other youth progressed so quickly that Sephiroth was unable to make out much of his silver-haired opponent. He noticed a few things though.

The silver-haired adolescent was also a Keyblade wielder, he was about the same age as the other Keyblade wielding kid, and he was considerably skilled in the art of swordplay.

As their battle continued, Sephiroth began to entertain an impossible thought.

The child was abnormally skilled and graceful in his movements. He moved faster and jumped further than he should be able to. His long silver hair and soft fair skin were very familiar.

But it could not be…

With an unusual move for him, Sephiroth stepped forward when he should have sidestepped. This caused the boy's blade (which, ironically, had one single wing at the tip) to cut across Sephiroth's bicep as he grabbed the youth's arm. After taking a well-aimed palm strike to his face, Sephiroth also had the boy's other wrist.

They were close enough to the cave wall by now, that it did not take long for him to have the struggling youth pinned against the rough stone, with one hand holding both the child's wrists above his head and using his legs to pin the teen's smaller ones.

The adolescent kept his head lowered, causing his long bangs to veil his face.

With one motion, Sephiroth brushed the fine hair aside with his free hand and pushed the boy's face up, holding each in place with a fair amount of pressure against the teen's forehead.

Familiar teal eyes glared at him from underneath long silver lashes and finely sculpted silver eyebrows. A pale mouth was in a tight line as a delicate jaw set in defiance.

The boy's face was beautiful, haunting, and so very familiar.

Suddenly, something in the child's face softened. His jaw and mouth relaxed a little as his brows altered from narrowed in defiance, to slightly drawn in confusion.

Curious teal eyes tried to take in every part of Sephiroth's face, his hair, his arms...

Then, seeing those eyes, he remembered the name of the boy he had given up.

"Riku…"

The boy was too surprised to react as Sephiroth abruptly ran his hand through the fine silver hair to rest at the back of the small skull. At the same time, his other hand released the thin wrists and lowered to wrap around slender shoulders. Riku stiffened as he was pulled into a tight embrace.

Sephiroth felt long eyelashes blink in confusion against his chest, as he lowered his head to smell his son's hair as he had so many years before.

He raised his head again, but continued to cradle the boy against him as he looked down intriguingly. Riku's face was still pressed into his chest, and he still had not moved at all. The fact that Sephiroth could not feel the boy blinking anymore told him that the adolescent had closed his eyes.

Then, he noticed the way the Riku's chest moved and heard a sniff. At first, he thought the child might be crying, but then he realised that Riku was sniffing him quietly.

He felt the blinking start up again before Riku murmured, "I know you…"

Slowly, Riku tilted his head up and teal eyes rose to stare into the azure ones that were already looking down at him. "You're the one who saved me from _her_."

Now it was Sephiroth who froze in surprise. He had not truly expected the boy to remember him…let alone realise why he had sent him away.

He blinked away the surprise as his muscled relaxed as much as they ever did. He continued to look at the boy in his arms. Riku was no longer stiff, although he did not seem to know what to do with his own slender arms.

Riku hesitated for a moment before speaking again. "Am I…" Teal eyes dropped.

"Yes," Sephiroth continued to watch the boy. "You're my son. There were some issues…I am glad you were not involved in."

Riku nodded his understanding, "Cloud told me a little about that. I didn't know who you were though."

Sephiroth paused. He had not expected that. He wondered what his nemesis might have told his son.

"I understand," Riku said quietly before he could ask anything about the previous statement.

"Why didn't you ever contact me after?" asked the boy steadily.

"I am not truly certain," Sephiroth watched the child closely. Riku seemed to accept this.

"Why do you and Sora fight?"

"Because he misses you and I remind him of you."

"Do you hate Cloud?"

"No, but I do not like him either…and I doubt I ever will."

Riku nodded once. Then he remained quiet.

"You are a Keyblade wielder."

"Yes."

"You are the one who was locked in the darkness."

The silvered head lowered slightly.

"You should not be ashamed. You conquered the darkness, and now you can safely wield it."

Riku looked at him again from behind his veil of silver bangs and lashes.

"I did not want you to suffer so, but I am proud of who you have become."

Teal eyes blinked and searched his own.

Then, Riku returned the embrace.

The boy inhaled Sephiroth's scent deeply before speaking into his chest. "Will I see you again?"

Sephiroth wore a small smile. It was the first true smile to grace his features in years.

"Yes."


	10. Arrest

_Prompt: Arrest_

_Given by: Jediempress_

_Setting: Headquarters of the Radiant Garden Reconstruction Committee, Post KHII_

_Pairings: Sora/Kairi and Cloud/Riku_

* * *

Yuffie had engaged Kairi into a conversation about why they always seemed to be left out for the most part whenever their friends had to go play hero when it happened.

Sora could not believe it. As far as he knew, this had never happened before.

He had always known Kairi to push through any distractions that might capture and hold anyone else's attention.

While they were growing up on the islands, neither Sora's dumbfounded reactions or Riku's witty remarks ever broke her concentration.

From what he had heard from Donald and Goofy, the girl never once paused in surprise or awe after her heart was returned to her in Hallow Bastion castle. She woke up, tried to catch Sora, and saw him disappear into darkness. Then, she was attacked by Xehanort's Heartless, whom she witness being held back by Riku's spirit. After that, she saw Sora manifest from his Heartless form and fled in a gummi ship (which she had never even heard of) to go to another world (which she had never truly believed existed). Through it all, she kept her focus.

When a strange man appeared on the beach with her a little more than a year later, and Riku used Pluto to guide her through dark pathways, she kept moving without question according to the silver-haired teen.

Riku also told Sora of his surprise that Kairi had taken his appearance in stride during their next meeting, even though she knew no details about his situation.

Seeing Naminè and Roxas emerge from them and then fade back into them had not fazed her at all.

When Sora and Riku seemingly fell from the sky after they were trapped in the World That Never Was, she greeted them as though they had simply been out sparring.

When Sora finally gathered the nerve to ask her out shortly afterwards, she merely commented that it was about time, confirmed that she wanted to go out, and then continued to pester Riku about helping her with a late homework assignment as she had been doing before.

She accepted the idea of visiting Radiant Garden as if flying gummi's to other worlds were an everyday suggestion.

So when Kairi stopped speaking mid-sentence, ceased moving with her cup halfway to her mouth, and stared open-mouthed across the room, -all because Cloud Strife had arrived and simultaneously gathered Riku into a rather intimate embrace- all Sora could do was watch in shock.

Yuffie looked back and forth between the two teens she had just been conversing with; trying to figure out what had arrested their attention so suddenly.

She turned to Leon. "What did I miss?"

The man merely shrugged and returned to his conversation with Cid.

Aerith and Tifa laughed and continued talking amongst themselves as they indicated the spiky-haired man and the silver-haired boy.

Cloud and Riku began speaking quietly to one another as though the other people in the room were not actually there.

Sora finally bust out laughing, as Kairi continued to stare blankly.

He would never understand the girl.


	11. Universe

_Prompt: Universe_

_Given by: Jediempress_

_Setting: Destiny Islands, Post KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Mrs. Hiruma looked up as Sora entered the house after school, followed by Riku as usual. 

Sora was speaking animatedly with a large smile on his face. "This paper is going to be a piece of cake! I mean, I know more about the universe than anyone! Well, except for you and the King probably...and maybe Donald and Goofy, definitely Yen Sid, anyway… I bet we know things Mr. McCabe doesn't even know! Hi, Mom."

"Hi sweetie," answered Mrs. Hiruma with a smile. "Hello Riku. It's nice to see you again." After receiving a small smile and a polite nod from the silver-haired teen, she turned her attention back to her son. "What has you so excited today dear?"

"We got a really easy assignment for once," answered Sora as he continued toward the kitchen table, where he usually ate a snack and then did his homework after school. Mrs. Hiruma was pleased to see that he had not changed all that much during the time he was away.

The spiky-haired boy continued chatting to Riku as they sat their book bags on the floor beside their chairs. "I'm going mention all the worlds I went to. Do you think anyone else here knows what snow is? Even Kairi hasn't ever seen it."

Riku was much calmer and quiet as always. "Sora, that's not what he meant by 'universe'. Remember, most people here don't even know that other worlds exist."

The brunette frowned as he browsed through the refrigerator. "What else could he have meant?"

The teal-eyed boy sighed as he seated himself at the table and started pulling his notebook out of his bag. "Why did you pick Logic as an elective?"

Sora answered without any hesitation, "Because it sounded like it was mostly free study and you took it before…everything."

"So pretty much, you thought it was an easy pass?" asked Riku.

Sora nodded as he pulled a soda and some sandwich items out of the refrigerator. "Yep…want a sandwich?"

The silver-haired boy shook his head. "Sora, when Mr. McCabe said 'universe' he meant it as in 'universe of discourse', not _the_ universe. It's Logic, not Science."

Sora paused in the process of spreading mayonnaise on a slice of bread. "Huh? What's that mean?"

Now Riku paused in the process of taking a rather large book out of his bag. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah…why?" asked Sora as he turned back to his food.

"Haven't you paid any attention in class?" Riku opened his book on the table and explained as he looked for the page he needed for his own homework. "It means everything stated or assumed in a given conversation or argument. You know, sort of like universal truths?"

Sora slowed his movements, as he seemed to send more energy to his brain to grasp this new concept. "Oh…so I can't just write about other worlds then?"

"No," Riku seemed mildly intrigued as he continued to explain. "It could be really interesting to contemplate if the theory is in fact universal…that even on other worlds, certain things still don't need to be said. However, since Mr. McCabe doesn't know that these worlds exist and no one here is very happy to address that they forgot you existed for a year or that my name is on that memorial in the square, I don't think that would earn you the grade it should."

"You don't think I'd get some bonus credit for the theory?" asked Sora hopefully.

"I think you'd get failed for not taking the assignment seriously," responded Riku flatly.

"Aw man," Sora whined as he finished putting his sandwich together and turned to the table. "I had planned to write about some of the neat things I saw on the other worlds, too. The desserts in Agrabah, the way they live in Atlantica, the snow in the Land of Dragons…"

"Why didn't you take Creative Writing then?" questioned Riku without looking up from the paper he was writing. "You could have just left out the fact that everything really happened, and Mrs. White would have figured you have the most detailed imagination around. Now, _that_ would have been an easy pass."

"Sure, _now_ you tell me that," muttered Sora around a large bite out of his food. "Well, I guess I can take that next semester…but what am I going to do about this assignment now?"

Riku rolled his eyes before suggesting, "You could try reading the text."

Sora's eyes widened as he choked on the food he was swallowing. Riku patted him on the back and as soon as the brunette could speak, he cried, "But that will take forever!"

"Well why didn't you read it before?" asked the teal-eyed boy in a mix of amusement and irritation.

Sora rolled his eyes now as if the answer should be obvious to his best friend. "Because he said we were going to be focusing on the universe, so I thought I didn't need to. How am I supposed to read the _whole _thing _and _write about it by Thursday?"

Riku simply shrugged and returned to his own assignment.

"Riku…come on, you know about this stuff." Sora whined as he offered the silver-haired boy a pleading expression. "_Please _help me out?"

"Hey, you're the one who signed up for the class and you're the one who skirted around doing the work," reasoned Riku. "Why should I get stuck with extra homework because of it? I already have plenty of my own."

"But _Riku…_ You always help me with the hard stuff," Sora countered. "I never would have passed that Tech class if you hadn't let me copy off you."

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," called Mrs. Hiruma from the sitting room, causing Sora to blush. "However, I better not hear anything like that again."

Sora dropped his voice to a theatrical whisper, "Come on, Riku, _Please…_"

"Alright," Riku answered quietly. "If you stop bugging me while I'm trying to do my homework and if you promise to get me out of going to Kairi's party, then I'll lend you my notes and assignments from when I took the class, okay? You know the drill, make sure it doesn't look like a direct copy or we'll both get in trouble."

"Okay, thanks Riku," answered Sora with a smile as he turned his attention back to his sandwich.

In the sitting room, Mrs. Hiruma smiled. She could not hear the last few sentences the boys had spoken, but she knew what had happened. There are many universal truths and one is that Sora will always receive the help he needs from his friends…especially his best friend.


	12. Atrocious

_Prompt: Atrocious_

_Given by: Jediempress_

_Setting: Hallow Bastion Castle, KHI_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

"Ah, there you are," said the last voice he wanted to hear at the moment. Somehow, the witch could tell when he was feeling weak, and he could swear she set in on his suffering as the raven on her shoulder would on a dying animal.

_Please, not now…I cannot handle this now._

Teal eyes quickly turned away and blinked before she could see the tears gathering in them

"What do you want?" he tried to sound harsh and irritated rather than upset and scared.

"Dear boy, I merely wished to see that you were alright after that cruel boy's actions."

_Of course, I am not all right. How could he just leave me behind like that? If only I had not opened that door…maybe then he would be the same. It's my fault he isn't._

Now, the silver-haired youth turned his back to her completely. "I'm fine."

"It would be completely understandable if you were not," said the voice that was both soothing and frightening. "After all, you've done so much to try to find your friend and here he's gone and simply replaced you as though you never truly meant anything to him."

That hurt.

_I did mean something to him. He was my best friend. We did everything together. We were going to see the worlds together. He was…**was**…_

Teal eyes squeezed tight. "Maybe I didn't…or maybe he just-"

"Do not torture yourself, child," interrupted the witch. "There are some who simply use people to their own advantage. On your home world, the boy gained prestige by being close to you. Now, he's found others who can do the same for him in this situation."

_Could that be true? I always tried so hard to be worth something…but he was my friend before anyone else ever noticed me. He always cared…_

"He wouldn't do that. He's my best friend." The boy wished his conviction were as strong as it sounded.

"If he truly cared for you, then why would he abandon you so swiftly for those new friends of his?" asked the sorceress as though she could read his concerns and were simply bringing a voice to them. "You would not have allowed those others to suggest you leave him behind. He could have done the same."

He did not have any sound argument for that. He knew Sora but…the Sora he knew would never have forgotten him.

_Then why did he just leave? Why didn't he stand up for me, as I would have done for him? Maybe I am just not worth the trouble…_

"Of course, sometimes childhood friends simply grow apart, but he could have been kinder in how he abandoned you," continued the mock condoling voice. "After all, he knows of your fears in that regard…he knows of your parents."

The boy's hands clenched into fists at his sides. His best friend had been the only person to know about that. However, he was too preoccupied with the self-deprecating thoughts that usually came about when he was reminded of his well-hidden insecurities, to question how the witch knew about them as well.

_Maybe it is just me. I was stupid enough to open that door. I was too weak to protect my friends. I am too worthless to save them. Maybe he just finally found friends that were not so pathetic. He seemed happier with them._

"Too many tend to assume physical strength and purity are the most becoming assets," said the witch quietly. "Just because those others might be stronger or blameless does not make them any more deserving of your friend."

"I- I don't want to talk about him anymore." He wished his voice had not cracked. More importantly, that his heart had not.

_We've always been friends. How could he walk away now? Why am I so easy to give up?_

"Of course not," A green tinted hand rested on his quivering shoulder. "Do not give that horrible boy any more thought. You still have another friend who might yet remain true. Come with me, my dear child, and I can help you save her. I only ask that you assist me with a task that I must complete as well."

"What can _I _do?" He asked weakly.

_I am not anything special. I cannot help anyone. I am the reason we're apart to begin with. This is all entirely my fault. _

"I believe you can do plenty. With a little guidance, you could become so much more than you are now." The hand left his shoulder and he suddenly felt cold as she steeped away. "Come with me, Riku, and I can help you become strong enough to get them back."

Something in him was screaming not to believe her…that everything was just so wrong. He released a worn sigh. "What do I have to lose?"

_My parents, the islands, my friends…I have already lost everything._

…_but what if she really can help me get them all back?_

Maleficent wore a malevolent grin as she heard the boy numbly turn and begin to follow her. The child was indeed extraordinary, and that just might be of use to her…As long as she could keep him broken.


	13. Fabulous

_Prompt: Fabulous_

_Given by: AngelinatheGreat_

_Setting: Radiant Garden, Post KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Leon was hurrying down the street. The restoration of Radiant Garden was not going as smoothly as one might hope. It seemed like they coming across a new challenge every other day, and somehow, he had become the unofficial leader of the whole project.

Yuffie skipped up to him out of nowhere. "Don't you ever just walk?" he asked.

"Where's the fun in that?" countered the hyperactive woman. She continued speaking before he had a chance to retort. "There isn't any power at my house. At first, I thought I just tripped another breaker, but then Reno complained that there isn't any power at his place either. Oh, and Rude said to remind you that Reeve is sending some supplies over this evening. Actually, he had Reno tell me…he still doesn't say more than two words to me."

"Is it the street or the whole block?" asked Leon, ignoring the rest of her statements.

"I think it's just our street 'cause Tifa still has power at her house," answered the petite ninja.

"At least it isn't that bad," said the scarred man. "If you see Cloud, tell him to come find me, okay?"

"Roger that, fearless leader," replied the hyperactive brunette as she mock saluted him before running off.

Leon blinked after her a moment, then rubbed his eyes and turned to continue towards his original destination. It was not that he minded taking charge; it was just that he felt like it was his failure when things failed to be accomplished now, and he did not like to let his frustration show around any of the others.

He stopped walking when he heard footsteps growing louder behind him.

"Leon, the water coming out of the faucets at my house is dirty and the neighbours said it's same at theirs," Tifa stated as she approached the grey-eyed man.

"There must be another break in the waterline," he stated. "I'll pull some people from the landscaping and painting departments to try to find out where."

"That shouldn't be too hard," said Aerith as she approached the duo. "There's flooding all along my street."

Leon released a small groan, which he disguised as a cough. "Alright, I'll send them there then. How bad is it?"

"Well, it hasn't affected the houses yet," answered the kind woman, "but everyone's yard is destroyed and the street is covered in mud."

"Alright, we'll hold off on the park and fix that as soon as we can," answered the sable-haired man.

Cloud had joined them while Leon was speaking. "You know Merlin and Scrooge are going to complain about that."

"Why would they care about the park?" asked Tifa.

"They don't," muttered Leon. "However, they do care about the kids skateboarding all over the Borough."

"Which will be happening for some time longer now, got it." Tifa nodded and then offered Leon a sympathetic expression. "Sorry, but I have to go work on the tavern."

As Tifa walked away, Aerith turned to Leon. "I should go too. I need to arrange for some sandbags to be moved before any of the houses are ruined."

"Good thinking, and I'll send some people over right away," responded Leon as he turned toward the Postern.

"Wait a minute," called Cloud. "Cid needs to talk to you about some trouble with the defence system."

"What's wrong with the defence system?" asked Leon as he stopped and turned toward the other man.

The spiky-haired man shrugged. "I don't know, he just told me to find you and grumbled something about it while I left."

"Okay, I'll find out about that," Leon turned around again.

"Hey wait," Cloud caught up to him. "Yuffie said you were looking for me."

"Oh right," answered the scarred man who had not bothered to stop walking. "Reeve is sending some left over supplies from Travers Town. He sent the message with Reno and Rude. Can you meet Vincent when he arrives? He needs to reload and then get back to Traverse Town. It should be early this evening."

Cloud nodded once. "They seem to be really coming along."

"Well, That world didn't take the damage this one did," replied Leon.

"True. I should go. I have Riku's arrival to set up for, and now Vincent's as well," The spiky-haired man stated before turning in a different direction. "Good luck with Cid," he called over his shoulder.

"Thanks," Leon called back as he headed for Merlin's house.

As he approached the small dwelling, Leon noticed that several roofing tiles were strewn across the ground in front of the building.

"Ah, Leon, good to see you," said Merlin as the grey-eyed man entered.

The unmistakable voice of Archimedes called out from his birdhouse, "And about time, too. Those hooligans are going to fall straight through the roof one of these days."

"It wouldn't be the first time," responded the old wizard with a reminiscent smile.

"What happened now?" asked Leon.

"One of the boys who use those confounded skateboards decided to use my roof as a ramp," stated the magician, "And as I'm sure you noticed upon your arrival, he did a fair amount of damage."

"I'll see what I can do about it, but first I have to see what Cid's problem is," responded Leon.

"It ain't _my _problem, it's _our _problem," grumbled Cid from his computer. "I'm not the only one who needs a defensive system around here, am I? I think the problem is coming from Ansem the Wise's old computer, but to fix it, I need someone who knows what they're doing to work from that computer while I work from this one. Spiky said Jailbait's coming out to help with the orphanage, think you can spare him for a few days?"

"For this, yeah we can spare him…if he doesn't mind," said Leon. "I don't think it'll be a problem though. It sounds like the kid just wants to help, and he is better at computers than any of the rest of us are. He's arriving sometime this afternoon, so I'll mention it whenever I see him. Will we be alright until then or should we gather some human defences?"

"There haven't been too many Heartless lately, we should be alright. Besides it's not like we haven't got better things for everyone to be doing right now." The blonde man lit a cigarette as he looked at the monitor in front of him Leon could not make sense of anything that flashed across it. "You don't think having a Master of the Keyblade here is going to attract more Heartless do you?"

"I hope not, but between the fact that he is a Keyblade wielder and the computer skills, I think the kid can handle if it they do start acting up." Leon reasoned. "Is there anything else?"

"No, just send Jailbait over whenever you see him," replied Cid as he flicked his cigarette.

"You do know that his name is Riku, right?" asked the scarred man.

"Yeah, but it's fun to irritate Spiky and I've yet to have anyone not know who I'm talking about," answered Cid.

"Fine, I have to go, we've got flooding, a break in the water line, and a street without power," Leon stated on his way towards the door.

"Damn, the place is falling apart almost as quickly as we're putting it back together," commented Cid as the russet-haired man left the house.

As he entered the Bailey, he saw a man with blonde hair and a tattoo on the side of his face sitting on the ledge, opening a lunch sack. Upon seeing Leon, the man waved. "Hey Squall! Want a hotdog?"

"No thanks, chicken-wuss," Leon answered as he passed.

"I asked you not to call me that," said Zell.

"Just like I asked you not to call me Squall," retorted the brunette.

"Touché," said the blonde with a smile. "So, you want a hotdog, Leon?"

"No thanks Zell," said Leon as he waved away the offered food. "But when you're done, can you bring some of your crew to Maple lane? One of the water lines broke there and it's flooding _and_ bringing dirty water to Lily Avenue."

"That's not a winner," answered the blue-eyed man. "Sure, I can get started on that, but you it means we won't be finishing Clover Road for awhile."

"I know," answered Leon with a sigh. "If you see Gippal, send him to Chestnut Road. The power is out there for some reason."

"Will do," said Zell before he stuffed a hotdog into his mouth, hopped of the wall, and started heading back to work.

"Hey Leon!" called Yuffie as she ran up to the two men. "There's a problem in Ansem's old study. Can you take care of it?"

"What kind of problem?" asked the scarred man even as he turned in the direction of the building and waved to Zell.

"I don't know, Tron contacted Cid through the system and said some users are behaving inappropriately and that he was worried they might damage the computer there." The petite brunette shrugged. "I got to go, I told Tifa I would help her today to make up for breaking that window; Bye!"

Leon groaned and turned to the Postern. On his way, he sent some more men out to help with the flooding and the broken water line.

After entering the building, he got lost in the labyrinth of halls that led to the study once (although he would never admit it), and was then distracted for several minutes by Stitch, who began shooting at him with miniature stun guns from the ceiling.

By the time he finally reached the study, he was glaring at nothing in particular.

He kicked open the door and froze on the spot.

A male pixie with short silver hair who was wearing black leather, sat on the desktop, sobbing. The blonde pixie that had lived in Radiant Garden for several months now, was patting his arm and saying, "It's okay…Don't cry…We'll find your mother…"

Meanwhile, another silver-haired pixie wearing a cloak reminiscent to the ones Organization XIII had, was sitting on one side of the bookshelves holding two strange minuscule guns. On the other side of the bookshelves, was the little brunette pixie that arrived with the blonde. She also had two small firearms drawn, and two were sporadically leaning over and shooting at one another.

Flying through the air above all of them, was the last pixie that made up the Gullwings. She had a small sword drawn and was duelling another male pixie, who was clearly related to the others. This one had a tiny double-bladed sword and looked slightly younger than the others did.

As Leon watched, one of the swordsmen knocked over and therefore broke, a lamp, while one of the gunmen shot down a painting across the room.

Leon had not even noticed someone walk up behind him until a soft voice said, "Hi Leon, How are you?"

The Gunblade wielder answered through clenched teeth, "_Fabulous_."

"That good, huh?" said Riku as he stepped beside the taller male.

The teen took in the mayhem in the room before him and then turned to Leon with a small smirk. "Well, do you want to take out some of that frustration, or do I get to have all the fun?"

With that, the boy summoned Way to Dawn as Leon drew The LionHeart.

At least he got something done that day.

* * *

_Author's Note: Thanks to Jediempress for suggesting the basic idea for this one._


	14. Content

_Prompt: Content_

_Given by: AngelinatheGreat_

_Setting: Radiant Garden, Post KHII_

_Pairing: Cloud/Riku_

* * *

Leon entered Merlin's house with Zell, followed closely by a particularly loquacious ninja.

"So then, I got stuck on that level for about four hours, but I defeated so many enemies, that I think I made up for the time lapse in kills alone… Hi Cid, Hi Cloud!" Yuffie pranced over to where the spiky-haired blonde was leaning against the wall, reading a piece of paper…

...Which he promptly folded and stuffed in his pocket upon her approach; "Hi Yuffie; still trying to beat Reno's score?" he asked casually.

"Yep, you know it's only a matter of time," answered the hyperactive woman. "What was that, by the way?"

"What was what?" asked Cloud.

"I think she's referring to the slip of paper that you so conspicuously hid when we came in," remarked Leon.

"Yeah, the one that looked suspiciously like a letter," added Zell.

"It's not any of your business…," replied Cloud.

"Spiky got another letter from Jailbait," commented Cid from his computer.

Leon smirked, "Ah, and how is the kid doing? Having any trouble catching up in school? The other kids aren't picking on him for running away are they?"

"Ha-ha…really witty, _Squall_," Cloud replied drily.

"Uh-oh, now you know you hit a nerve," said Zell as he sat down at the table with Yuffie.

"It's just getting old," muttered Cloud.

"Well something was bound to, and it sure isn't going to be your boyfriend," Leon retorted with a vicious glint to his eyes.

Mako enhanced eyes narrowed. "I'm warning you…"

"It's your own fault," Cid muttered around his cigarette. "You're the one who took the bait. Speaking of which, when are we gonna meet Jailbait?"

"Will you stop calling him that?" asked Cloud irritably.

"It's what he is, isn't it?" retorted Cid.

Mako blue eyes glared in response as Leon chuckled. "You know that just guaranteed he'll call the kid that from now on. Seriously, Cloud, you should bring Riku here. You're the one we like to torment, and I'm sure he can hold his own if he's with you."

"Yeah," Yuffie called enthusiastically from the table. "We can show him that new game we discovered in the computer! Then we can have even teams for the multiplayer battles."

"What're you talking about?" grumbled Cid. "Jailbait can't play that. It's rated NC-17 for adult content. Tron won't let anyone that young in."

"Wait…you mean Jailbait actually _is _jailbait?" asked Zell as he turned to Leon. "I thought you were just teasing Cloud…I didn't know the kid actually _is _a kid. How old is he?"

"He's sixteen," replied Yuffie from across the table. "He was fifteen when Cloud met him."

Zell gave Cloud a disillusioned and appraising look. "Like 'em pretty young, huh?"

Now the former SOLDIER turned his glare to the tattooed man. "It isn't like that."

"Well, taking him to the tavern is out of the question too," commented Yuffie as though the two blondes did not look ready to murder each other. "Tifa's not going to risk her license…not even for Cloud."

"He can't go to the club, either," Leon pointed out. "They don't let anyone under eighteen in, so the kid has got a couple years to go."

"Jailbait can't even buy most of the music they play at those places yet," added Cid; "…Not unless he talks a grownup into buying it with him."

"Why not?" asked Yuffie innocently. This still earned her a Mako enhanced glare.

"The NC-17 content issue again," explained Cid. "Don't want Jailbait having his influential little mind warped or anything."

Leon snorted, "Yeah, because then he might let some strong handsome blonde man with a big sword purge him of his purity."

"You know how I feel about that, Leon," Cloud responded in a bitter tone.

Yuffie turned to Cloud with what she no doubt thought was a sympathetic look. If it had been anyone else, Cloud would have sworn he or she was only teasing him further. "Well, it's not like his innocence hasn't been tainted already. Between Maleficent's manipulations, the Ansem-ghost-thing or whatever it was possessing him, and all that time trapped in the dark ream, I'm sure he ended up really mature for his age!"

The hyperactive brunette tiled her head quizzically as the blonde man's eyes hardened and a jaw muscle flexed.

"Either that, or he's severely traumatised," commented Zell as he stared at Cloud. "Way to pick the kid up while he's weak, Strife."

"He isn't weak, and it's not like that, Dincht." Cloud's voice had gotten frighteningly terse.

"Of course he isn't," stated Leon, giving Zell a warning look. "From what Sora said, it sounds like the kid is really something…which is why we'd like to formally meet him, Cloud."

"I'm sure we can find some kiddie-friendly activities for the occasion," commented Cid. "Though someone's gonna have to supervise Spiky and Jailbait…wouldn't want Cloud to end up in prison."

The spiky-haired man now directed his glare at the back of Cid's head. "It's not like I'm in this just to take his virginity, you know."

"Didn't say you were," replied the elder blonde. "'Course, dealing with that age, hormones'll do half the work for you anyway."

"The kids around here seem to like Scrooge's skateboarding park," suggested Leon with a grin directed solely at Cloud, "And I'm sure Tron knows of some game programs that are appropriate for his age group."

"You could also take him swimming in the Waterways; he's from an island, so he probably likes water," commented Yuffie, who it seemed had failed to notice that Leon and Cid were strictly tormenting their friend.

"Or he might hate it," Leon offered with a mock thoughtful expression. "You know how defiant adolescents can be." The scarred man turned to meet Cloud's glare. "At least you know he'll probably grow out of any bad habits he might have."

"That's it," Cloud stated heatedly as he pushed away from the wall. "I'm leaving."

"Aw, come on, Spiky," muttered Cid.

"You know-" Leon began, but a rather irate former SOLDIER interrupted him.

"Yeah, I know," snapped Cloud. "I'm a sick pervert, but you know what? I don't care. I didn't ask for this to happen and I know it's wrong on so many levels, but it is also right too. So maybe I just need to think some things out without you bastards making it harder than it already is!"

With that, the spiky-haired man stormed out of the small house, slamming the door behind him.

"He needs to get his sense of humour back," commented Leon.

"He'll come around," said Zell.

"He's already improved a lot," agreed Cid, "Ever since Jailbait came into the picture."

"Yeah, but what if he breaks up with Riku now?" asked Yuffie who was looking at the men in the room sternly. "Why did you guys have to take it so far? You could really mess things up for him!"

"I wouldn't worry about it too much," Commented Leon as he glanced out of the window.

Cloud paced a moment, kicked a wall, and then pulled out the letter he had shoved into his pocket earlier. His anger ebbed and his expression softened as his eyes scanned the page. By the time he was nearing the end, of the page, he actually smiled and Leon saw a light in his friend's eyes that he had not seen in years.

"…And I definitely don't think he'd bag Riku over it," added Leon with a grin of his own.

"I'm still not lying off the Jailbait jokes," commented Cid.

"I wasn't suggesting it," replied Leon as he turned away from the window.


	15. Marvellous

_Prompt: Marvellous_

_Given by: AngelinatheGreat_

_Setting: Post KHII _

_Pairing: None_

* * *

"Marvellous…Simply marvellous," said the cat-like Yzma in a voice that held a definite purring quality. "I'll just set some of those Heartless loose, the people will see that Kuzco cannot defend them, then I'll get rid of the Heartless, and the empire shall be mine before the year is out."

"Yeah, but what if one of those Key bearers show up?" asked a rather large, but obviously dim-witted man.

"I am sure that you will have little trouble with them," said a green-skinned witch in a calm, sonorous voice. "Once you can control the Heartless, that is."

"Oh…_Right_…" said the man.

"Come on Kronk, to the secret lab," said the ancient looking woman.

"I shall see you in the future then," stated Maleficent with a slight incline of her head just before the two ran off.

Then, the sorceress vanished in a blaze of green flames.

"How did it go over in The Empire, Maleficent?" asked a large anthropomorphic cat once the witch arrived in the castle she had claimed as her own after the defeat of its former inhabitants.

"Very well, Pete," responded the sorceress as she raised a hand to stroke the raven that simultaneously landed on her shoulder. "These new associates are only concerned with the rule of their own worlds…and some even less than that. The Queen wishes to be rid of a rival, the sea-witch desires revenge for her sister, Frollo wants his world purged of those he considers unholy, and Rourke is only interested in wealth."

"But what about the ones who do want to rule their worlds?" Pete questioned.

"Let them; why should a handful of worlds concern me when I shall be ruling the heart of all worlds?" replied Maleficent. "Yzma, Prince John, Merlock, Lord Beckett, Captain Hook, Hades, and yourself are welcome to your respective worlds…so long as you remember your ends of the bargain."

"Of course…but what about those Keyblade wielding brats?" asked Pete. "No one was able to defeat either of them before, and that's when they were separated."

"Then perhaps they need to be separated again," stated Maleficent. "Without his friends or the king's lackey's by his side, I doubt that Sora will be nearly as impressive."

"What about the other one? He could be trouble," said Pete.

"Yes, Riku… the boy's heart proved stronger than I thought," said Maleficent meditatively. "However, even the strongest heart has its weak points…and I surely know his. I may have an errand for some of our new allies already."

"What'dya mean?"

"His heart is a powerful weapon…let us use it against him," replied the sorceress as she turned and glided put of the room with a malevolent smile on her lips and a marvellously wicked plan on her mind.


	16. Hankering

_Prompt: Hankering_

_Given by: BlackIceNinja_

_Setting: Radiant Garden, Post KHII_

_Pairing: None (up for interpretation)_

* * *

Sora and Riku walked into Ansem's old computer room to find Cid working away at the computer by himself.

"Hi Cid," called Sora. Riku merely waved when the blonde man turned to face them.

"Hey kids, what are you doing here?" asked Cid as he snuffed out his cigarette.

"We just came to see how everything was going around here," answered Sora a she looked around the room. "Where are Leon and Cloud? We saw Yuffie and Aerith at Merlin's and they said they were here."

"Spiky and the smart ass had a hankering for something or other, so they took off to take care of that…should be back soon with my lunch though," responded Cid.

Both boys looked at him oddly for a moment, Sora's brows were furrowed in confusion and Riku had one slender brow arched quizzically. Then the two teens turned to one another, after a moment of still silence, Riku gave a small shrug as Sora shook his head.

The adolescents returned their attention to the old pilot.

They responded simultaneously. "They had a _what_?"

Cid blinked a couple times. "They had a _hankering_."

The two boys still stared at him as though waiting for further explanation.

"You two don't what that means?" asked Cid. Two heads shook a 'no' in response. "Gees, I thought you calling me 'gramps' was bad…now I really feel old."

"Maybe it's just a term that they don't have on our world," suggested Riku.

"Yeah," agreed Sora, "So what does it mean?"

"Well, what _could _it mean? They had a hankering for something and they headed off to Tifa's tavern…wait don't think on that," grumbled Cid, earning him even more confused expressions. "They wanted something, you know, for a while? Like it was nagging at them?"

"You mean persistently?" offered Riku.

"Yeah, that's the word I was looking for," said Cid.

"So they wanted something persistently?" asked Sora, still looking slightly confused.

Riku turned to Sora, "I think it's sort of like a craving."

"That's right…at least one of you finally worked that out," muttered Cid as he turned back to the computer.

"What did they have a…_hankering _for?" asked Sora, earning a small groan from the elder.

"Something from Tifa's…on the menu, I mean," answered the Gummi pilot.

"They went out for drinks this early?" Riku's voice had a slightly incredulous tone.

"That doesn't sound like them," Sora looked at his friend. "Hey…you don't think it's like those old taverns I read about, do you?"

"Yeah, that makes sense," Riku responded sarcastically. "They're not the type to go out drinking, but they'd go to a brothel…And why is that the first thing that occurred to you? What did they do to you while I was away?"

"Well you didn't come up with much better…thinking they were alcoholics," retorted the brunette. "Why do you always have to be such a pissimiss?"

"That's pessimist," corrected Riku automatically, "And you know why."

Now it was Cid's turn to stare at the two teenagers. "What are they teaching you kids in school these days?"

"Huh?" Sora turned back to the blonde man.

"They went to the tavern to get something to eat," explained Cid. "That's why I said they're bringing me back some lunch."

"Oh, they serve food in taverns?" Sora questioned brightly.

"Now you have his attention," murmured Riku with a small chuckle.

"Where is the tavern?" asked Sora. "We can go see everybody there and get something to eat."

"You can't o in there," replied Cid as he lit another cigarette. "You're too young."

"Aww," Sora moped.

"I'm sure you can talk Leon into getting you some food from there," said Riku offhandedly.  
"If not, I'm sure Jailbait can talk Spiky into it," muttered Cid.

Both looked at him with similar expression to the ones they wore earlier. Only now, there was a slightly shocked edge to one and a touch of panic to the other. "_What_?"

Cid groaned. "Can't you two go pester someone who's good with kids?"


	17. Scoreless

_Prompt: Scoreless_

_Given by: BlackIceNinja_

_Setting: Destiny Islands, Pre KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

"Hey," Tidus said quietly, leaning over Selphie's desk to talk to Wakka. "Can you believe the game last weekend? We are going to own the Stingrays when we play them next week."

"I know," replied Wakka, "A scoreless loss, pretty sad, ya?"

"They didn't score at all?" asked Selphie.

"Nope, not a single point the whole game," answered Tidus.

"What are you guys talking about?" whispered Kairi, who was seated behind Selphie.

"The game from the two mainland schools last weekend," Selphie whispered back.

"The Stingrays didn't score a single point," repeated Tidus, now turning in his chair to look at the auburn-haired girl.

"Mr. Trepe, Miss. Ban," interrupted the professor, "pay attention."

"Yes, sir," both teens intoned.

The professor turned away, and the conversation started up again, although more discreetly.

"Who were they playing?" asked Kairi.

"The Barracudas," answered Selphie.

"Won't they be hard to beat then?" Kairi questioned.

"She has a point, ya?" said Wakka.

"Why aren't you guys paying attention to the lesson?" asked Penelo, who was sitting beside Kairi.

"We're talking Blitzball," replied Tidus.

"Are you going to the game next week?" The blonde girl asked Kairi.

"Of course," responded the auburn-haired girl. "You know I'd never pass up the chance to root for you guys."

"Why didn't you join the squad?" whined Selphie. "I can understand not wanting to join the team like _some people_, but it would have been fun. Then we'd all be involved."

"Selphie, we all know I'm too lazy for all those practices," answered Kairi as though speaking to a small child.

Tidus and Wakka chuckled. Selphie, suddenly realising they were laughing at her and not Kairi, hissed indignantly, "Hey!"

"Mr. Trepe, Mr. Myoji, Miss. Tilmitt," the professor's voice was much more stern now. "This is your last warning; if you interrupt my class again you shall all return here for study hall. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," the three named teens chimed.

After a brief moment, the conversation picked up again.

"So who needs a ride?" asked Kairi.

"The team's all going together, so we're good," replied Tidus.

"I'll take a ride," said Selphie. "We don't have to be there until later than the team and some of the boys get really obnoxious on the ride over."

"Hey! We are not," said Tidus.

"We're just getting into the right spirit for the game, ya," added Wakka.

"Penelo isn't as annoying as the rest of you guys," retorted Selphie.

"Thank you," said the blonde girl.

"…And she scored the most goals out of everyone during the last game," Kairi pointed out.

"See? It isn't necessary to chant and knock your heads together in order to play a good game," finished Selphie.

"You just don't get it," said Wakka.

"Yeah," agreed Tidus. "You don't know what it is to be one of the guys."

"Oh, so it's that we're not guys?" asked Selphie with a roll of her eyes.

"Well, that would explain the breasts," commented Penelo drily.

Tidus blushed, Wakka choked on his own saliva, Selphie gasped, and Kairi chuckled, while the blonde-haired girl continued to copy the assignment from the dry erase board at the front of the room.

"Mr, Trepe, Mr. Myoji, Miss. Tilmitt, and Miss. Ban, you will come to my desk after class to receive your detention slips," said the professor, who had not even bothered to turn around from the front of the classroom. "I don't think I shall have to ask you not to interrupt my class again, yes?"

"Yes, sir," the four friends intoned.

They decided to hold off the rest of their discussion until lunch.


	18. Promiscuous

_Prompt: Promiscuous_

_Given by: BlackIceNinja_

_Setting: Traverse Town, Pre KHII_

_Pairing: Rude/Tifa_

* * *

Reno never took relations very seriously. He was what one might call a 'casual dater'. He did not appear to have a 'type', and seemed to choose his romantic interests at random.

"I'm just not interested in finding 'the one', ya know?" he said to Elena one day when they had gone out after work one night with their partners. "I'm just having fun. I mean, I can ask anyone here to dance, and not worry about making a good impression."

"Well if you ever found 'the one', you wouldn't have to worry about impressions anyway," countered the blonde. "That's why she'd be 'the one', she'd like you for you."

"Yeah, but there's always something…"replied the redhead, "Look at Rude. He's _dancing_, and Rude don't dance. Now if Tifa's supposed to be 'the one', then why is she making him dance?"

"You said Rude was happier with Tifa than you'd ever seen him," said Elena as she turned to look at the couple they were discussing.

Tifa was laughing, as Rude stood stock-still while twirling her with one hand. However, the corner of his mouth seemed to be twitching up slightly as the woman he was 'dancing' with laughed and basically danced around him.

Reno also took in his partner and best friend's progress with a grin. "He is…I know it's hard for the rest of you to tell the difference, but for Rude, he's practically ecstatic."

"…And you don't want that?" asked Elena. "To know that there will always be someone to dance with, even if you're just standing there while all the other guys in the room wonder how _you _got _her_?"

Reno had not thought about it that way before. Sure, his long-time friend and partner was dragged into a few potentially embarrassing situations, but he seemed to enjoy every one of them in his own way. In addition, neither Rude nor Tifa seemed to notice any of the looks they were getting from the men at the bar.

Meanwhile, Reno had gone out with four different women that week.

The first was beautiful; she had exotic red eyes and wore her hair up in a multitude of braids. She was also far too dark and serious for Reno to really enjoy his time with…and she carried around a Moogle doll that looked suspiciously like a voodoo doll. Reno had not bothered asking for her number.

The second was funny. She had an obscure wit about her that some people did not seem to catch, which Reno did and found very entertaining. She was also very observant and focused…Reno didn't even mind the rabbit ears, but she had only been in town a few days before flying out with her partner.

The third was alright. She was a little younger then Reno, but was mature for her age and a lot of fun. If it hadn't been for that damned Moogle that kept following them around and jumping in whenever she thought Reno was getting a little too close, he might have asked her out again.

The fourth was sexy but far to high-maintenance for Reno. The blonde woman had not seemed capable of doing anything on her own and tended to whine. Reno let her entourage (which she had brought along) take her home after a few drinks before heading to a tavern by himself.

Reno glanced over at Tseng, who was sitting at the bar; speaking to a woman he had been dancing with earlier. They both seemed to be showing genuine interest in what the other was saying, and appeared to be enjoying themselves.

He thought of the last time he had seen Cloud. There was something different about him, and it had started after he met that kid he told them about. Whatever it was, it was a good change. Reno wondered if maybe he was missing something.

When he asked someone to dance later that evening, it was not someone he chose randomly, and he ended up with her number before he left.


	19. Blind

_Prompt: Blind_

_Given by: Endoresu_

_Setting: Destiny Islands, Pre KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Rinoa sighed as the professor droned on. She turned her head to look out the window beside her. It was far too nice of a day to care about mathematical equations.

A cloud moved into view, and it cast a shadow over the empty seat beside her.

For whatever reason, Rinoa found herself thinking about the boy who used to sit there.

When that strange squall hit the islands nearly a year before, several people disappeared. Most were old, and it was assumed they either grew confused in the storm and drowned or simply suffered from heart failure. Rinoa believed this, as everyone else did, but the thing that bothered her, was that not _all_ of them were old.

Her neighbours, the Akeru family, were _not _old. Mr. and Mrs. Akeru must have been in their mid or late thirties at the most, and their adopted son was only a few months younger than Rinoa herself.

Of course, Rinoa had rarely spoken to the boy…and her friends never did. They were one of the most popular groups in their year and could not be bothered to take interest in the quiet boy who always sat in the back of the class and simply waited for the school day to be over.

Rinoa had spoken to the boy briefly, to ask if he had a spare pencil in class, or if he could feed her cat when she stayed over at a friend's for the weekend while her parents were away for their anniversary. When she was sick and had to stay home from school, her professors had sent a homework packages to her house with the boy, since they lived next door to one another and were in all of the same classes. The boy had been nice, although he never seemed to want to speak to her or her friends any more than they wanted to speak to him.

Once, she had gone with her best friend Quistis to a small islet where some kids liked to play, because the latter needed to find her little brother Tidus, who was one of the kids that liked to play there.

While on the islet, she had seen the boy, and was surprised at how differently he behaved from the way he did when she saw him at school or at home. He was talking and laughing with another boy, who Rinoa did not know and could not remember. She had wondered if the boy would be less of a loner at school if more of the kids in their year paid any attention to him.

However, they never did, so she would never know.

After the memorial had been set up in town square, Rinoa and some of her friends had spoken about the boy whose seat would forever be empty in school.

Quistis had said it was a shame for someone to die that young, especially someone as responsible and smart as he was.

Rinoa recalled that he always took notes in class, turned in his work on time, and answered every question the professors called on him for correctly. Rinoa wondered why she had never been aware of these qualities in the boy before. She was slightly surprised that Quistis had noticed.

Quistis' little brother, Tidus, said that the boy had always wanted to go see 'other worlds' and that he thought the boy had actually run away. Quistis excused them and took her little brother home after that.

Rinoa could understand why Tidus was reluctant to believe that the boy was dead. He once told her about sparring the boy three against one with his friends and still not being able to beat him. She figured she would have a hard time believing a friend that strong had died too.

Irvine said it was shame because in a year or two, the boy would have been quite the looker.

Rinoa thought of what the boy had looked like. She realised she had to put more effort into it than she should have for someone she had seen everyday for most of her life. The boy had the most incredible cyan eyes and silky silver hair. He also had very delicate bone structure, which contrasted nicely with good muscle tone on the boy's slender frame. He had still looked slightly awkward, but Rinoa thought that Irvine was right.

Irvine's little half-sister, Selphie, had said that it did not surprise her that the boy did not speak to them very much, because he was the reflective type who only really spoke his friends.

Rinoa thought of the boy, always sitting by himself, even at lunch, and always being the first out the door when the final bell rang. She had never considered it before, but if she had, she would have thought the boy was lonely. Now she knew he was patiently waiting until he could be with his friends.

Rinoa had even spoken to Kairi, the mayor's daughter who had also been friends with the boy, after the unveiling of the memorial to offer her condolences and support.

Kairi talked about what a loyal and selfless friend the boy had been, and said that she was sorry that Rinoa and her friends had not had gotten to know him before he left.

Rinoa found the way the other girl said left odd, as if she were expecting to see him again, but took her other words to heart. She wondered how she had never managed to see what a wonderful person she was missing the chance to get to know.

Since then, Rinoa had decided to try to notice other people more, whether they were in her group of friends or not. She noticed that Quistis often joined her when she stopped to talk to someone they would not have a year ago.

Rinoa knew she would never see the boy again, and she was all right with that, because thanks to him, she was not blind to the world around her anymore.


	20. Gravity

_Prompt: Gravity_

_Given by: Endoresu_

_Setting: Hallow Bastian, Pre KHII_

_Pairing: Cloud/Riku_

* * *

Cloud sighed as he looked over the Dark Depths before him. "I believe you…but I still don't remember any of this." 

"I know," answered Riku, who was standing a few feet behind the blonde man, and who was also looking out into the horizon, although he seemed to be looking past it…or perhaps through it. "No one else does. You will if I succeed in helping Sora."

Cloud still did not alter his gaze. "It sounds like this kid and you just seem to be attracted to the other…the way the sky is pulled to the land."

Riku nodded, even though the blue-eyed man was not looking at him. "It's been said that our existences resonate with each other's… Maybe there's something to that."

"Any other attractions?" The former SOLDIER asked bluntly.

Teal eyes blinked and suddenly focused on the man standing in front of him. "He's my best friend."

"You know that's not what I meant," said Cloud a little more harshly than was justified. "Everyone else here can see it…Don't pretend you can't."

"You asked if there was any other attraction, and I told you the only one there is," Riku answered firmly. He turned his face back to the horizon. "I don't lo-_like _him the way I do you."

Cloud stiffened. They had both always been very careful not to say how they felt about one another before. He supposed it was obvious, but it was strange that the boy suddenly wanted him to know. The blonde man had not failed to catch the slip either.

He turned his head to glance at the boy over his shoulder. "You're afraid of something. What is it?"

Riku continued to stare into the distance as he answered. "I might not be able to come back this time."

Cloud turned to face the boy who still was not looking at him. "What do you mean?"

"I might not be able to return to the realm of light after I free Sora." Riku looked down, his silver hair, which had been steadily growing over the past year, shielded most of his face.

Cloud's first thought was to tell the boy not to go then, but he knew that would be like someone telling him not to go after Sephiroth. Even if he would rather not do it, it was something he had to do. The spiky-haired man looked down as well.

"If I do come back, you know I'll be coming back to you, right?" asked Riku.

"If you succeed, and I know you will, you might not be able to," replied Cloud. "The worlds will return to the way they were before, and you might not be able to move between the realms anymore…at least, I hope you won't."

"You pointed out the way Sora and I always seem to gravitate toward each other." Riku's eyes flicked over to Cloud. "I've always be drawn toward those I care about. I'll find you…if I don't-"

"Don't say that," Cloud interrupted. There was a long moment of silence afterwards.

"Which part don't you want to hear?" asked the teen as teal eyes met Mako-blue for the first time since the elder found the boy standing out here. "The part where I might be trapped in the dark realm again? The part where I might die? Or the part where I care about you?"

"All of it," answered the former SOLDIER coldly. "You shouldn't be involved in all of this…and you shouldn't be involved with me."

"I'm more heavily involved in _this_, than you are," replied Riku thickly, still holding the man's gaze. "Why shouldn't I be with you?"

"You're too young for both, and despite whatever you believe, you're too pure." Cloud took an unconscious step closer to the adolescent. "Most of what you say you did wasn't actually your doing, and everything you did do was for the right reasons."

"I still should have known it was wrong." Riku's voice was much softer than Cloud's in so many ways. "I should have seen what I was being used for."

"The fact that you didn't, and couldn't, would convince me of your purity even if I hadn't known you all this time," retorted the blonde man. "You're heart is surrounded by darkness, but it hasn't penetrated it like it has mine. You may not be innocent anymore, but you're still pure…I'm not."

"What, because of _him_?" questioned the teal-eyed boy. "If what they did isn't my fault then what he does isn't yours."

"That's different," snapped Cloud. "I'm the reason he is what he is now. I am responsible for all the terrible things he does. I'm capable of terrible things…"

Riku did not match Cloud's anger, but he did meet his persistence. "If that were true, you would have killed Sora…and you wouldn't care about tainting me, or whatever is it you think you're going to do to me."

"You don't understand."

"Try me, then."

"He's proof of the darkness I carry," Cloud said in a forceful tone. "The darkness I've spread already. The reason this world is in the state that it is. My friends lost their homes…and some still haven't made it back yet. They could have all died because of me…and I deserted them when they needed me the most. I'm no good to them, and I'm no good for you; I can't help anybody. I shouldn't have let you get this close. The darkness will always follow me. "

"You think I don't understand that? Did you listen to the whole possession/trapped in the dark realm experience? The islands were nearly lost because of me; my friends almost died!" Riku's chest was starting to heave with suppressed emotion.

Cloud turned away from the boy. "None of that was your fault, Riku, and you also saved your friends and your world in the end by committing a very selfless act. What are you beating yourself up about?"

"The darkness suppressed by my heart, the bit of Ansem that's still in there, the fact that Sora's not whole, the reason why no one can remember him, it's all my fault and I hate that because…as bad as I feel about it…as much as I despise myself…I'm not sorry. Because it's the only way I would have met you. I guess I am a selfish brat in the end. I can't help it…I love you…and for that, I'll never be sorry." The teen's voice, which had started out broken and desperate, ended soft and tranquil.

They stood in silence for a moment, and then, Riku turned and walked away.

Cloud felt something pulling at his chest, trying to draw him after the boy. It took everything he had not to obey their bodies' strange force of gravity.

"I love you, too Riku…Come back safe," he whispered to the horizon.


	21. Fortress

_Prompt: Fortress_

_Given by: Endoresu_

_Setting: The World That Never Was, KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Axel crashed to the ground. He tried to stand, but could not.

He might not have a heart, but every other body part he could name hurt…as well as several he could not.

The man he had been fighting approached him silently, as always.

The fiery Nobody managed to bring himself up to his knees and look as threatening as he could from his current position.

He braced himself for a coup de grâce that did not come.

Looking up, Axel received the shock of his non-life.

"You… Who are you?" asked the Nobody.

The man had lowered his hood, which had remained up throughout their entire battle somehow. Axel decided to assume that the man was just particularly skilled as opposed to believing it was due to some form of ineptitude on his own part.

In either case, the man before him looked just like Xemnas.

"I'm no one important."

Now Axel was even more confused. The man's voice sounded like it should be coming from an adolescent. In addition, he could have sworn he had heard that voice before. Hearing it issue from this form was unsettling.

The man raised an arm, clearly casting some spell or another. Once again, Axel prepared for a blow.

Instead, he was bathed in a soft green light as he felt his injuries begin to heal.

Green eyes blinked in confusion. "I don't get it. Who are you really?"

"I'm someone who understands what you're doing…but who won't let you achieve your goal. Understood?"

"Yeah, but if you think…" Axel suddenly realised where he had head that voice before, although it had sounded a little different then. "Wait, you're that boy…The one who escaped Castle Oblivion…You're _his _best friend."

"If you know that, then you understand that I'm not going to let you harm him. After all, you've been acting for the same reasons I have."

Axel remembered that he could stand now, and that gave him considerably more confidence. "Yeah? And what's that?"

"We both just want our friend back. Unfortunately, only one of us can have him, and I've already won. He's whole again."

"He still exists in there somewhere," Axel said stubbornly.

"Then help him as he chose to be."

Axel's retort died on his tongue. Roxas _had _chosen. He just had not wanted to accept it.

The man who was really just a boy spoke again as he raised his hood. "Don't try to hurt them again. I won't let you off the next time."

The man-child began to walk away then. Axel called out to him before he left the alley. "She's there."

Both turned to look at the castle floating above the city. Darkness instead of walls, magic instead of might, and its occupants instead of guards, protected the fortress. It would not be an easy feat for anyone to succeed against its defences, but Axel thought this boy and his friend would. He did not feel bad about that.

"Thank you." The boy who was older than his years said before disappearing into the darkness.

Axel looked at the castle, and then down the other end of the alley, where the portal to the real world lay dormant.

"If this is what you want to do Roxas, then let's do it."


	22. Loathing

_Prompt: Loathing_

_Given by: Koji Inari_

_Setting: Radiant Garden, Post KHII _

_Pairing: Cloud/Riku_

* * *

Cloud Strife was known to fit his name. Friends considered him 'angry' (as Leon put it), 'downcast' (as Aerith phrased it), 'self-deprecatory' (as Tifa stated), 'moody' (as Riku admitted), 'a pain in the ass' (as Cid said), and 'emo' (as Yuffie claimed).

Cloud thought that they tended to exaggerate.

He only got angry when the situation merited it… Or if someone tried anything with Riku, but could one really blame him for being a little overprotective of his young lover?

He was not downcast, he was realistic; just look at all the things they had gone through and he thought a little pessimistic edge was well warranted.

He did not belittle any of his achievements, he only made sure that it was clear he did not do it all by himself, and that he had made plenty of mistakes along the way.

He was not moody…all right, maybe just a little, but everyone had their personality flaws. It could be worse…at least his moods tented to vacillate slowly and subtly.

Cid thought everyone was a pain in the ass at some point or another, so Cloud did not really pay much mind to the foul-mouthed, chain-smoking, gummi pilot and repairman.

He was certainly not emotional. Only a few people could actually tell what he was feeling at any given time, so he definitely was not emo.

The only time Cloud would merit his friends' claims was when it came to the one thing he truly despised.

_Sephiroth_.

The name alone filled him with such loathing he was known to snap, yell, and even strike out if anyone dared to bring him into a conversation.

Cloud knew that he became practically irate when it came to the man. He was completely dejected about the fact that the bastard simply would not stay dead. He felt that none of his accomplishments meant anything if he could not even defend those he cared about from the nightmare. He could switch from ranting, to shouting, to crying, and back to ranting again whenever he was required to speak of the One Winged Angel. He could not understand how any of is friends could put up with the way he was prone to disappear whenever he caught word of the walking-proof-of-the-darkness-in-his-heart being sighted. He definitely fit the title of emo when he heard of yet another resurrection or when he flat-out failed to kill his nemesis.

The One Winged Angel aside, Cloud was a decent guy, a good friend, and a great boyfriend, in his opinion anyway. He figured he had to make up for the previously mentioned behaviour somehow, or why else would everybody put up with him?

Riku always supported this idea; Cloud thought that perhaps the teen understood better than the others because of his own troubled past. When they were not tormenting him, as friends are prone to do, the others assured Cloud that he was not that bad…not all of the time anyway.

Due to all of this, Cloud realised there were only a few options of what could be the matter, when he looked up from the motorcycle magazine he had been reading because he noticed Riku hovering around the door to his room nervously.

"Riku? Is something wrong?" asked the blonde man as he put the magazine on the bedside table.

"Yeah…but I need you to promise to stay calm before I tell you," the teen answered apprehensively from the hall.

The list of probable causes reduced to two. Only two things could set Cloud off enough for Riku to be afraid to tell him about it. Sephiroth, the one whom he loathed the most, and Xehanort's Heartless, who ran a close second on Cloud's list due to all the grief he caused Riku.

The former SOLDIER stood from the bed and began walking toward the tense boy as he spoke. "You know me well enough to know I can't promise _that _much, but I'm not going to- _What happened?_"

Cloud closed the last few feet between them quickly, and grabbed Riku's shoulders as he looked the boy over. He had failed to notice the bruises on the teen's upper arms and wrists from the bed. Now that he was close, Cloud could tell they were from someone forcibly restraining the boy…in a position Cloud did not like.

"Cloud, calm down; I'm alright," Riku said pointedly, although his voice still had that worried edge to it.

Cloud looked down at the bruises; they were dark, and were obviously made by hands notably larger then the boy's own. "Are these the only ones?"

Riku sighed, obviously understanding that Cloud would not relax until his questions were answered. "No, but the others aren't any worse. I'm alright." He did not sound as convincing on that last statement.

"Where are the others?" Cloud asked.

"On my back and legs, but Cloud, I'm _fine_…really, just calm down." The teal-eyed boy locked eyes with him, and Cloud knew straight away that the teen was more troubled than he was letting on.

Cloud repeated his former question. "What happened?"

"I was defending Sora; _S_- the guy was good; I got knocked around a little and then pinned out in the depths; that's it."

Cloud knew that was not 'it'. Riku would not be this concerned if it was that simple. It took a lot to shake the boy.

Right now Cloud decided that someone might just join Sephiroth and Xehanort's Heartless on his list of most-loathed-things-that-should-be-brought-up-with-cation-around-him. Whoever it was, he would not be around much longer…Cloud would see to that.

"Riku…that's not it; you're- …_You're trembling_," Cloud realised it as he said it, and in response, he pulled the teen into an embrace.

Revenge could wait a little longer. Right now, he needed to make sure that Riku really was all right.

He led the silver-haired boy into the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed with him…still holding onto him.

"Its okay, Riku," Cloud said softly.

The boy released a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob before shaking his head. "No…I'm not so sure about that."

"Well, it will be okay, then…just relax." Cloud vaguely wondered how their roles had switched so quickly in this conversation. Normally, it was _Riku _settling _him _down…he had (fortunately, as it was not his forte) only been placed in the nurturing position twice before in their relationship.

"Just tell me what's wrong," …_and whom I need to kill_. Cloud decided to leave the second part unspoken for now, as the boy seemed more concerned with keeping Cloud calm before.

Cloud noticed that Riku loosened his own hold on Cloud, as though he were expecting him to pull away soon. That was odd…Cloud never recalled a time when he had done that.

"You're going to be really angry," Riku said cautiously. "I'm afraid you're going to hate me…"

Now Cloud was confused. "Riku, I will never hate you. What could possibly make you think that?"

"The person I was fighting…was Sephiroth," Riku began, keeping his voice as neutral as he could, but he was obviously (to Cloud anyway) shaken and expecting a bad reception.

Which, he was right to. "_What_?! I'll kill him! Where was this? What did he do to you?" Cloud grasped Riku's shoulders once again and held the boy out slightly so he could see his face again. He looked anguished.

"I told you, I was defending Sora. I didn't have any choice," the boy explained quickly.

Cloud blinked; that had not been what he asked. "I know, Riku. It's okay. Just tell me where he was and what he did to you, and I swear, I'll find him and kill him."

"That's what I'm afraid of…," the cyan-eyed boy said softly.

Cloud blinked again. This conversation kept getting stranger. "What do you mean? Why would that be a bad thing? Are you afraid he's going to hurt me?"

"Yes…I'm afraid he'll use me to do it," answered the silver-haired teen.

The blonde man's eyebrows drew together in concern and confusion.

"I didn't know…" the boy's voice was barely a whisper.

Cloud was growing more confused by the second. He had never known Riku to act this way before. The boy was normally a tad on the blunt side. "You didn't know what?"

To Riku's credit, he continued to meet Cloud's eyes as he answered. The teen's face remained passive, but as usual, his eyes gave the lie away. The blonde man did not know someone's eyes could look so apologetic and anguished on their own.

"Hojo is my father," the boy spoke the words dully and than waited for the information to work itself out in his boyfriend's mind.

Too many thoughts and emotions swarmed Cloud for him to react on any right away. Then, he decided to make sure he understood the situation.

Still holding the boy's shoulders and staring into his eyes, he asked, "Hojo…the scientist who headed the Jenova project…The one who is responsible for the Mako in my body…The one who…" Cloud paused.

"Who…" Mako eyes narrowed slightly.

"Who fathered Sephiroth…" The former SOLDIER almost did not recognise his own voice.

The penny dropped.

"_What_?! How is that possible?! How do you know?! When did you hear this?! Why-"

"Cloud, stop…" Riku interrupted tightly. "You're hurting me, and you're asking too much at once."

Cloud blinked in surprise at the statement, then realised just how tightly he had been squeezing his boyfriend's shoulders. He released the teen and took a few breaths to calm himself…at least as much as he could, considering the subject they were discussing. "I'm sorry…I didn't-"

"I know," Riku interrupted as he gingerly shifted his now bruising shoulders. "I'm guessing that's a Mako thing…"

"What is?"

"The Death Grip of Loathing," answered the teal-eyed boy. "Don't worry about it," he said as Cloud opened his mouth to apologise again.

Riku took a shaky breath, and Cloud set his jaw. He needed to let the boy explain this connection between himself and the only person Cloud truly detested.

"I'm sorry," Riku began. "Hojo has always just been a name, one I was never supposed to speak. I was only a baby when my mother and I moved to the islands, so I don't remember anything else. After Kairi arrived there, I started talking about other worlds. I was really little at the time, but I guess my mother decided it was time to explain a few things. She told me who my father was and that we were from another world too, but that she left with me because my father wanted to do something very bad to me, and that I could never tell anyone because if he found us he would hurt us.

"I never spoke of him to anyone, even Sora and Kairi don't know. I didn't talk about other worlds again for years…You know how that worked out." Riku lowered his gaze.

"Why didn't you say anything about this before now?" asked Cloud tightly. He was trying very hard to keep himself relatively calm.

"I'm not sure…," answered Riku honestly, "Probably just a force of habit. If you had mentioned Hojo by name when you were telling me about all of that, I would have. As it was, I didn't think who my father is was of any importance. I didn't even know I had a brother."

Clouds jaw tightened at the last word. Riku was Sephiroth's little brother. All this time…he had been with him, and he never saw it.

He had never seen a connection between the man he loathed and the boy he loved.

Mako blue eyes took in the boy's features in a more scrutinising way than they had ever before. Vaguely, he noticed the teen's discomfort at this.

The silver hair was the same in hue and texture, although Riku wore it differently. Not only was the style notably different, but he wore it less confidently…sometimes he almost seemed to be veiling himself with it.

The mouth was very different. Riku's was smaller, fuller, and suppler. The corners also seemed to turn downward even when the boy was not frowning, where as Sephiroth's turned up, as if a sneer or smirk were built in.

The lines of the teen's face were softer, more delicate. Sephiroth's face was very angular, with hard, precise lines.

Their voices were very different. Riku's was softer, and more emotional than Sephiroth's. The man's was deeper and colder than the boy's ever could be.

The eyes were as different as night and day. Riku's bright teal were warm and open. Sephiroth's blue were cold and empty. There was also the drastic difference in the shapes of the pupils.

Riku's skin was fair and soft. Sephiroth's skin was pale and…well, Cloud did not know more than that.

"Did she get you away before he could introduce the Jenova cells?" Cloud assumed he did not have to explain the pronouns.

Riku's eyes were still turned away...His face downcast. "I think so."

"Look at me," said Cloud.

Riku did. Cloud met his gaze. The boy definitely looked like he could be Sephiroth's little brother. Cloud wondered why his friends had never said anything. They were not blind by love and loathing. They had to have seen the resemblance.

Of course, if they had ever made such a suggestion, Cloud would have sooner lashed out at them than consider it.

"Do you hate me?"

Sephiroth could never look or sound so dejected.

This was still Riku.

_His _Riku…and he was standing here, scrutinising him, questioning him, and breaking his heart.

That was biggest difference of all between the two.

Cloud almost hated himself as much as Sephiroth in that moment.

"No…I never will," Cloud kneeled before the teen, who seemed to be overwhelmed.

He took the teen's shoulders much more gently this time. "It's okay Riku."

"I'm sorry…I didn't know," Riku shook his head slowly. "I'm so sorry."

Cloud felt even worse. "You don't have anything to apologise for. You didn't do anything wrong. I'm the one who should be sorry. This has to be just as hard on you, and I've only made it worse by acting like a selfish ass."

"It's okay," said Riku with a slight grin. "I know how you are when it comes to Sephiroth." The grin dropped as the boy seemed to search Cloud's eyes. "I was so afraid you would hate me like that too."

"Never," Cloud suddenly found his arms filled with a very relieved (although still shaken) teenager.

They remained like that for some time before Cloud broke the comfortable silence.

"Is it going to be a problem with you if I try to kill Sephiroth again?"

"No…and I didn't expect that to change anyway," came the muffled reply.

"Good," answered Cloud.

After all, he still loved Riku, but he also still loathed his big brother.


	23. Lurking

_Prompt: Lurking_

_Given by: Koji Inari_

_Setting: KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Sora could not shake the feeling of being watched.

Every world he travelled to, every step of his journey, he felt as though there were someone lurking in the shadows.

This someone seemed to be at least one step ahead of him at all times, and was clearly a master of shadows.

The thing that Sora found odd was that the lurking stranger did not seem to be hindering his progress, nor did he or she appear to have any ill intent.

In fact, Sora had a feeling that the mystery person was helping him.

There were times when Sora, Goofy, and Donald would reach an area that he knew should have more Heartless around…and sometimes there were no Heartless in an area that he suspected should have them.

Someone was also leaving clues for he and his friends, and he had to admit, they would not have found most of the information the clues led them to on their own.

Actually, Sora did not think he would have made anywhere near the progress that he had if it were not for the king and this enigmatic master of shadows.

Sometimes, when he found himself as close to alone as he ever was these days, the brunette could sense the presence of another person, although _he _(on these rare occasions Sora was sure it was a 'he') remained just out of reach. The particularly odd thing about this was how _familiar_ the presence felt…how _safe_, as though there were an old friend watching over him.

During some of these rare moments, Sora smiled to himself. It would be nice to know who the mysterious benefactor was, but it was also nice just to know that someone was watching out for him. When he and his companions found a good place to camp, where there were oddly few or no Heartless, he felt protected.

Sometimes Sora felt bad about it. He still had no idea if his best friend was all right. For all he knew, the silver-haired boy was still trapped in the dark realm. Just because the king had gotten out, did not guarantee the same for his friend. His cyan-eyed pal could be scared, alone, injured, suffering, starving, and fighting for his life…while Sora enjoyed the protection of this master of shadows.

Then, there were times when Sora got the feeling that this enigmatic guardian had drifted further from him. The blue-eyed teen was not sure how he could tell, but somehow he simply could. During these times, he wondered what his hidden comrade was doing.

The spiky-haired teen guessed that the shadow guardian was fulfilling his own duties, and undertaking his own journey. Sora wondered what these duties and tasks might be…what the other was trying to accomplish.

More than anything, he wondered why the watcher was helping him from the shadows. He could not understand why such an ally would choose to remain hidden…or why the other would endanger himself without allowing Sora and the others to know who he is.

He could not imagine a life of lurking in the shadows when you could be living in the light.

In these moments, Sora actually felt bad for his unknown sentinel.

…And for some reason he could not understand, Sora also found himself missing Riku more on those occasions.


	24. Luminescent

_Prompt: Luminescent_

_Given by: Koji Inari_

_Setting: The Land of Dragons, Post KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

"Hey Riku…What would make a rock glow?" asked Sora from a spot a little further into the strange cavern than his silver-haired friend.

"Either phosphorescence or magic would be my guess," answered the teal-eyed boy as he caught up to the spiky-haired brunette.

"Well, what do you think of that?" Sora questioned as he pointed out a fist-sized stone in the cave wall that bore a symbol of a dragon and had a faint glow.

"My first thought is 'let's not touch it," replied Riku just as Sora had been about to grab the stone. "…At least until we figure out what it might be."

The blue-eyed boy had withdrawn his hand quickly when his friend suggested not touching the object of discussion. Now, he was looking at it quizzically, "Why not?"

"Because it's a luminescent, intricately-carved stone in a place where it obviously was not intended to be found," answered the silver-haired boy flatly.

"So…? It could be an ancient …er, magic… -_thing_- that could be useful later," said the brunette.

Riku arched an eyebrow. "Sora, has the past year and a half taught you anything?"

The spiky-haired boy crossed his arms and adopted an expression that the other boy figured he assumed to be intimidating.

"Of course I learned stuff," responded Sora, "And a lot of things I thought were useless or weird at first turned out to be useful or important later…like a photo and an ice cream bar that _someone_ left me as a clue."

"That was clearly left for you," retorted Riku. "Some things are better left forgotten. Maybe no one was supposed to find this."

"Then we should take it so that no one can use it for the wrong reasons," countered Sora. "Hey! I bet the emperor would know something about it; maybe we should show it to him."

"First of all, just because we're the Key Bearers, doesn't mean it's our right to police the entire universe. The Keyblades and the worlds will let us know if we're needed." Riku turned his eyes from his friend to the glowing stone in the wall, "And secondly, it might not be a good idea to show a potentially powerful object to someone who's in a position to seriously misuse it."

Sora seemed to be thinking this over; his friend suspected he was trying to find holes in the argument. "Okay, you're probably right about the first one, but you really need to have more faith in people, Riku."

"I have reasons to be mistrustful," replied the cyan-eyed teen. Before the other boy could answer, he turned to face him. "Why don't we head back? You wanted to see what these caverns led to, and we have. We can always com back after we know more about it."

Sora looked from Riku to the stone. "Oh come on Riku, stop being so distrustful. What's the worst that can happen if we take it with us?"

"We awaken an ancient evil deity hell-bent on conquering the world, then Maleficent decides to make a go for Kingdom Hearts while we're distracted with it, Heartless are released over the worlds once again, only this time we fail and the universe is doomed to everlasting darkness," answered Riku without pause.

Sora blinked at his best friend a few times. "Okay…you need therapy, but you also have a point…I mean, stranger things _have _happened when we're involved."

"There's probably a reason for all the traps, spells, and puzzles we had to pass to get here," stated Riku.

"That's definitely true," responded Sora. "Alright, you win…but let's check the computer in Radiant Garden to see if Ansem the Wise knew anything about that stone."

"Deal," said Riku. "Now let's go…this place is creeping me out."

Sora chuckled as they left that particular cave.

It took the two teenagers nearly three hours to exit the caverns, then Sora wanted to say goodbye to Mulan and Mushu before they left the world.

Once they reached Radiant Garden, the blue-eyed teen wasted little time in dragging his much more computer-savvy friend into Ansem's old computer room.

After a few keystrokes, the teal-eyed boy found the desired information.

"The Namida Stone is believed to be created from the last tear fallen from an ancient race of dragons," Riku read from the screen before him. "Its wielder has the ability to call upon the sprit of the eldest dragon king, Draconis. It has long been believed that the ancients hid the stone, as it contains a power too strong and tempting to be wielded by any one person. It is said that the stone will call out to a worthy master under times of peril, and shall hibernate in times of peace. To use it before the time of beckoning blah, blah, blah… Basically, touch it and die, unless it tells you to."

The silver-haired teen walked away from the computer, as Sora scanned over the information on the screen briefly.

Sora stopped reading quickly. Riku seemed to have summed the information up perfectly.

"Okay, you definitely called that one…but you still need therapy."

When Sora did not receive a reply, he turned and noticed the teal-eyed boy standing a few feet away and staring into the next room with a slightly dazed expression.

The brunette took a few steps forward to look into the other room as well, and saw Cloud leaning against the wall and talking to someone who was out of view. Sora assumed it was Leon, who had been working in there alone when they entered.

Sora looked back at his best friend. "Or maybe you need something else," he said with a grin before running for his beloved life as the cyan-eyed boy chased after him.

Maybe he did not have the sense to know to leave a luminescent stone in a well-hidden and protected cavern alone, but at least he could see when a heart found its own source of illumination.


	25. Time

_Prompt: Time_

_Given by: Anne3448_

_Setting: Destiny Islands, Post KHII_

_Pairing: Sora/Penelo_

* * *

Mrs. Hiruma had always let Sora's friends in and sent them to whichever room he was currently occupying when they stopped by, so it was not surprising for the boy to be caught unaware when Penelo entered his room.

What was surprising was the pensive and slightly morose expression on his face, as well as the scrapbook lying open before him on his bed when she entered.

"Hey Sora," greeted the blonde in a concerned tone, "Are you okay?"

The brunette looked up suddenly when his friend entered and instantly his expression brightened slightly. "Hi Penelo; Yeah, I'm okay…just feeling a little behind."

"Behind?" asked Penelo as she moved to sit on the other end of the boy's bed. She glanced down at the scrapbook, which she, Kairi, and Selphie had made for Sora after his return. It consisted of photos, cards, notes, and clippings from the year he missed. "Well as you can see, we didn't do anything nearly as exciting as what you and Riku were up to."

"Yeah…but that's not what I mean," replied the blue-eyed boy.

"What do you mean then?" questioned the blonde.

"Well, you know how no one remembered me for like a years worth of time? …Except Riku, obviously…" Sora paused for a moment.

The girl nodded and watched him with a supportive and interested expression.

He turned his blue eyes to meet hers. "I was sleeping throughout that whole year."

Her blue eyes blinked in confusion, "You…what?"

"It was sort of an enchanted sleep…I guess," explained Sora. "I didn't even know how much time had passed until after I got back here. Anyway, you guys lost a little time when the world disappeared, but that was everybody and it wasn't for very long. Riku couldn't really tell how much time was passing when he was trapped in the dark realm for a while-"

"Riku was trapped in the dark realm?" Penelo chimed in, "That explains a lot."

"Yeah…he really should explain more…" Sora adopted a concerned expression, clearly thinking of his best friend's refusal to speak of his experiences during that time.

"He won't, but that's okay," said Penelo kindly before turning the conversation back onto Sora, "So what about the time in the dark realm? I assume you were going somewhere with that."

"Oh right…" The boy's expression cleared as he started speaking again. "You see, he still _grew _over that time, even if he couldn't tell if it had been weeks or months, but I didn't grow for a whole year. I mean, obviously I got taller and bigger, but…" The spiky-haired boy seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Emotionally and mentally, you stayed the same since you didn't learn or experience anything for that year," Penelo offered. "You didn't get to mature the way Riku did. Although I think he matured a little more than an adolescent normally does…but I get your point."

"Exactly," responded Sora, looking relieved that she seemed to understand him. "Riku went through a lot, so he sort of had to grow up fast, but I didn't. Everyone here didn't mature quite as much as he did, but they still matured some over that year."

A look of comprehension dawned on the blonde's face, quickly followed by one of sympathy. "Oh, I get it. That's what you mean when you say you feel behind. That is a lot of lost time."

Sora nodded and turned his gaze back to the scrapbook that lay in-between them on the bed. "Everyone has moved onto different things."

"Well, you guys are different too, you know," said Penelo with a soft smile.

"I know, but we're like, the only ones out of all our friends who haven't even been out on a date yet." The spiky-haired teen blushed slightly as he continued. "Swearing, driving a car, making out, part-time jobs, going to real parties, kissing, dating, seriously considering careers and colleges…we have no experience with any of that. At least Riku doesn't seem to care or feel awkward about it all, but I do. You, me, Kairi, Selphie, Wakka, Tidus…we always experienced these sorts of things at about the same time, but now…" The brunette trailed off with a wave toward the scrapbook.

"You're behind…" finished Penelo with a single nod of understanding.

"Exactly," muttered Sora, "And I don't know how I'm supposed to catch up."

"Well, Riku's passing Driver's Ed no problem, and he said something about learning to drive a thing called a motorcycle and that he was able to apply that knowledge for it," Penelo began thoughtfully. "You mentioned something called a light-cycle as well as a Gummi ship, so you'll probably do fine as well. My brother is teaching me how to drive, why don't you come along this weekend and see?"

"Riku did handle that hovercraft well too…" Sora said before smiling at the girl. "Alright, thanks. At least that's one less thing."

Penelo returned the smile, "It's not like _any _of us have cars anyway…and most of us aren't even old enough to drive yet."

"That's true…," the boy agreed.

The girl tilted her head as she recalled some of the other things the boy named, "And swearing is overrated, besides, your mom will kill you if she catches you swearing, just like most of the rest of ours will."

Sora chuckled, "Yeah, that one is _definitely _true."

"Some of us have even more people to be concerned about," Penelo added with a chuckle. "Be glad you don't have any big brothers or sisters. Quistis overheard Tidus say the F word at the mall…I've never heard the girl speak that confidently or loudly before."

"I can imagine," said Sora with a grin.

"Once you've been to one party, you've basically been to them all," Penelo stated with a roll of her eyes. "You didn't hear it from me, but Kairi's planning a 'welcome home' party for you, so you'll have that experience soon enough."

"We told her not to make a big deal out of this," whined Sora. "Things are weird enough as it is."

"Yes, but you know Kairi," said the blonde with a shrug.

"Yeah," agreed Sora with a nod.

"Let's see…what else?" asked the girl, who continued almost right away. "Seriously considering your career and college; Sora, we're fifteen, most of the rest of us haven't decided on all of that either. Trust me; you're not behind there. As far as part time jobs go, I think you've proven you can handle responsibility and know how to save and spend Munny wisely, so don't worry. …And the teashop is looking for another busboy, if you're interested."

"You do have a point there," conceded the brunette. "Thanks, I'll stop by after school tomorrow. Mrs. Nesbit has always liked me; I think she'd hire me."

"She definitely would," agreed Penelo, "And of course she likes you, everyone does. Some things don't change you know."

"I guess so," stated the spiky-haired teen with a smile.

"As for dating, kissing, and making out…those seem to come in a pretty quick succession," this statement earned Penelo a blush from the blue-eyed boy. "The order isn't the same for everybody though."

"I think I'd like to start with simple dating," said Sora. "You know, sort of ease into the whole thing."

"That sounds like a good idea," replied Penelo. "Hey, you can start with Kairi's party. Ask someone to go with you. It's not too intimate for a first date, so whoever you go with shouldn't expect too much from you…and there are plenty of girls who'd love to go with you."

"Really?" asked Sora with a grin, "And does that include you?"

The girl blushed slightly, "I guess I would…I mean, you're really nice and you're fun to hang out with…so why wouldn't I?"

Sora's grin turned slightly nervous. "So does that mean you'll come to the party with me? I'd really like you to…"

Penelo continued to blush slightly, but she also grinned back at the boy. "Really…? Sure, I'd like that too."

The brunette's smile broadened. "Great! Er…when is it?"

Penelo giggled, "It's this weekend." She stood and clasped her hands behind her back. "I have to go; I'm supposed to meet Selphie to start on that biology project."

Sora stood as well, "Okay, I'll see you at the bus stop tomorrow morning then…?"

The blonde nodded, "Mm-Hm, I'll be there."

The girl took a step toward Sora and gently brushed her lips against his. When she backed away, he raised his fingers to feel his lips with an odd grin on his face.

"I told you those come in a pretty quick succession," she said.

"Then I think I'll catch up in no time," he replied as he stepped forward to initiate another, deeper kiss.


	26. Sign

_Prompt: Sign_

_Given by: Anne3448_

_Setting: Destiny Islands, Pre KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

A few months after everything returned to normal following the bizarre squall that hit Destiny Islands, most of the town gathered at the square to unveil a memorial for those lost during the strange event.

Kairi walked away from her parents after the memorial ceremony to join her friends. The ceremony was especially hard on them, since Riku, the only child listed among the deceased, had been a friend of theirs.

On the way over, a girl named Rinoa, who had been in Riku's classes, stopped Kairi to offer her condolences. They spoke to each other for a while and Kairi walked away feeling better, but later, she found one of the statements Rinoa had made odd.

Rinoa had mentioned seeing Riku in a way he never behaved in school while he was with a boy who she assumed to be his friend, however, she could not remember anything about this other boy.

Considering that Riku had been the youngest in his year, the boy's tendency to isolate himself, and the fact that he had few genuine friends, it did not surprise Kairi that Rinoa (who was so popular that Kairi was surprised she had even noticed Riku existed) would not know who this other boy was.

However, it did surprise the auburn-haired girl that she herself did not remember this other boy either.

At first, she assumed it was a mistake of the older girl's, but then she realised there were many holes in her memories when it came to the silver-haired boy. In time, she noticed that this was true of everyone. When asked, most people who knew them could tell Kairi Riku's name, his age (but not his birth date, no one could remember ever celebrating the boy's birthday), and general description, However, when it came to details and specific incidents, no one could recall any.

A few months later, Kairi was walking home from school with Selphie and Penelo and their conversation turned the teal-eyed boy as they passed the memorial. Kairi decided to ask if either of them could recall another boy. Selphie could not, but Penelo seemed to remember someone that Riku used to spar.

Before she even processed the thought, Kairi had mentioned that Riku had a best friend…but none of them could remember anyone being particularly close to Riku.

More time passed, and the auburn-haired girl became more and more certain that everyone was forgetting something…or more importantly, some_one_.

Little things here and there reminded her of spending time on the play islets with Riku and another boy, but she could not place the instances and her memory became fuzzier as she tried to focus on the details.

Kairi even noticed that it was more than just everyone's memories that were missing information a couple months after she asked her friends about the boy.

She was in the library, working on an assignment, when she remembered that the Akeru's had adopted Riku as a baby. However, she discovered that most of the records concerning this were either missing or simply incomplete.

Upon her return home that day, Kairi realised that she did not have a single photo of Riku or his mysterious friend. A quick call to her friends proved that no one else had a photograph featuring the silver-haired boy or any other boy whom they could not name. It was a though the two boys were being erased from the world.

One day, several months later, she and Penelo were walking on the beach, collecting seashells for an art project. One of the shells Kairi found kept striking her as familiar, and Penelo said she could have sworn that Kairi used to have one just like it.

"I remember us making it into something…," said the blonde.

"Yeah…" Kairi responded thoughtfully. "It was…hmm, I don't know."

"A keychain!" said Penelo suddenly. "Sorry…got a little exited there."

"No, you're right," said Kairi, whose own excitement was building. "It was my lucky charm!"

Penelo looked a little distant, "How did we forget that? You had it up until…the storm."

"Our memories haven't been right since then," said Kairi. "I think it's because of him."

"Who…Riku?" asked Penelo, "No…you mean that boy…the one who was his friend."

"I think he was _our_ friend," replied Kairi. "I keep getting these feelings, like a sign is flashing, telling me that we're all forgetting something important."

"Or someone…" commented Penelo.

Both girls stared at the shell for a moment as they allowed their thoughts to drift. That weekend they went through all of Kairi's things until they found the keychain.

"We made a promise…," whispered Kairi as she held the object in her hand.

"What did you promise?" asked the blonde.

"I don't remember," answered the brunette, "I just know that I made a promise to the boy we can't remember…it had something to do with this. I think that's why I put it away, but then…I just forgot."

Kairi picked up the habit of carrying her lucky charm around with her again after that night.

A few weeks later, Kairi had just parted ways with Selphie when a soaking wet Penelo raced up to her, still wearing her uniform from the Blitzball practice that must have ended minutes before.

Kairi blinked at her friend, "Did you run all the way here? What-?"

"No time, just come on," said the blonde as she grabbed Kairi's hand and pulled her at a run toward the play islets.

"Penelo…" panted Kairi as she stumbled for the tenth time. "You know…I'm not…a runner…Slow down…"

"No, you have to see this," Penelo called over her shoulder. Kairi noticed with a frown that her friend did not sound out of breath at all. This was accompanied by a strange sense of déjà vu.

The blonde stopped at the shoreline and abruptly turned Kairi towards the sea. "Look."

Kairi was about to ask if her friend was feeling all right, when she suddenly realised why the other girl had brought her here. There was something incredibly familiar about the scene before her…but she could not place it.

"I don't understand…" Kairi did not take her eyes off the view before her.

"It's the colours," said Penelo.

Kairi gasped. "You're right."

The sea was a bright aquamarine, glistening in the sunlight, while the sky was a deep, clear blue that seemed to go on forever.

"The sign is flashing again," said Kairi.

"His eyes were blue," replied Penelo.

The auburn-haired girl smiled, "You're right; they are."

The two friends sat on the shoreline and watched until the sun moved past the horizon, causing the hues of the sea and sky to shift.

Kairi then took out her lucky charm and held it as she gazed at the play islets in the distance.

"You okay?" asked Penelo.

"Mm-Hm," Kairi responded, "But I'm making a new promise to the boy I can't remember."


	27. Rugby

_Prompt: Rugby_

_Given by: Anne3448_

_Setting: The World That Never Was, Pre CoM _

_Pairing: None_

* * *

"Why are we doing this again?" asked Demyx as he dropped his voice and tilted his head towards the Nobody beside him. 

"Because someone somehow managed to convince the boss that team building exercises will keep the Organization functioning more efficiently," answered Axel as he adopted a similar position.

"Ah, a teamwork exercise," said Demyx with a slight nod, "…And Luxord is up front because…?"

"He's the only one who knew of an activity that would require thirteen team members to work together," explained the fiery Nobody. "Didn't you read the memo?"

"Er…it got wet," mumbled the blonde. Axel shook his head with a grin.

"All right, now that we're all here, let's forego the pleasantries and get to the point," said Luxord from his point between the dozen other members of the Organization and an odd area designed to look like a field, although the floor appeared to be the same as the rest of the castle. The reflective surface had lines painted to indicate the field and goals, and numbers on the ground in various places.

"We are going to play Rugby against a team of Nobodies I have constructed specifically for this exercise, with the assistance of Zexion and Lexaeus," continued the Gambler of Fate.

"First, _positions_; there are two general categories: forwards and backs. Forwards are generally chosen for size, strength, and aggression, while backs are usually smaller, faster, and more agile."

"Anyone else having to fight their brains from turning that into a bad yaoi scenario?" asked Axel loudly.

"You mean, like with the forwards being seme's and the backs on their backs?" replied Demyx.

"That is a somewhat interesting comparison…," said Zexion.

"You think everything is interesting," commented Larxene with a roll of her eyes.

"We'll start with the backs," Luxord continued to speak as if there had been no interruption. "The Fullback is the last line of defence and has to be able to watch the field and call out orders to the other defending players to fill gaps and correct weaknesses in the line. Zexion, you're our Fallback, go stand over the number one."

The Cloaked Schemer said nothing, but walked onto the 'field' and took the ordered position.

"That one actually made a lot of sense," commented Axel.

"Yeah," agreed Demyx, "Looks like the old gambler actually knows how to play his cards."

"Next are the wingers," continued Luxord with a glare towards numbers VIII and IX. "These are our fastest players, who also have to be able to take bad passes. Demyx and Axel are our wingers; take the positions marked two and five."

"Ha-ha you're ukes then," mocked Roxas.

With a snort from Axel and a smirk from Demyx, the two Nobodies took their positions on the 'field'.

"You know, this is going to hurt like Hades if one of us actually gets tackled on this ground," commented Axel, as he looked at his reflection in the glassy surface.

"Might I recommend playing well then?" suggested Zexion.

"That'll work," said Demyx.

"The centres work closely with the wingers, and must try to make a break in the opposition for the wingers to score," continued Luxord, sounding slightly strained now. "Roxas and Vexen, go stand beside your wingers on the spots marked three and four."

"Damn it," said Roxas as he took the spot nearest Axel. "It's only because I'm small."

"Well, that _was _one of the requirements for backs," said Axel.

"I find it amusing that Roxas has been positioned as Axel's centre while Axel is Roxas' wing," stated Zexion.

"Yeah…you need to get out more," replied Roxas.

Any retort the Cloaked Schemer was going to offer was drowned out by the sound of Demyx singing 'Wind Beneath My Wing' (he intentionally left the _s' _out) to a very un-amused looking Vexen.

Luxord raised his voice to he heard above the Melodious Nocturne, "Next is the stand-off, who is usually responsible for directing the ball to the rest of the team, and needs to be able to pass both left and right handed. I'll be taking that position, but I'll take my place after I've finished here."

"Aw, I don't think he wants to stand by us," said Demyx in a mock whine.

"Can you really blame him?" asked Roxas.

"Of course not," answered Axel. "Anyone would be intimidated by having to stand by a bunch of sexy guys like us…and Vexen's kind of creepy."

"True," agreed Demyx with a nod.

Zexion and Vexen began whispering to one another.

"How worried should we be about that?" questioned Demyx as he indicated the silent conversation. Axel regarded the whispering friends suspiciously while Roxas merely shrugged.

"_Next_," said Luxord in a strained tone, "Is the Scrum-half. This is the second portion of the halves duo, along with the stand-off. This person has to work with the stand-off and be nippy, quick of mind, and have good kicking skills. Larxene, that's you; go stand over the seven."

"Well she's definitely skilled at kicking balls," muttered Axel.

Demyx nodded, "And she does tend to bite."

"Is that what he meant by 'nippy'?" asked Roxas.

"You don't want to respond to that," snapped the Savage Nymph, causing Axel's mouth to shut immediately.

Luxord was now pinching the bridge of his nose. "Now we're onto the forwards. We'll start with the hooker; Xaldin, take the position marked nine."

This was followed by a few snorts from the 'field'.

"I'm not even going to touch that one," commented Axel as the Whirlwind Lancer took his position.

"The fact that the guy who's the best at multitasking is given a position called 'the hooker' speaks for itself," added Demyx.

"At least we're onto the sem- _Damn it, you guys_- I mean forwards, now," said Roxas.

"There are two prop-forwards, which are usually the biggest and the strongest on the team," said Luxord through clenched teeth. "Lexaeus and Xemnas will hold those positions. Please stand over the ten and eight."

"Notice they get a please?" scoffed Roxas, "kiss ass…"

"Alright, I get Lexaeus in that position, but Xemnas…?" questioned Demyx.

"Would you tackle the superior?" asked Axel.

"That would depend on my mood at the time," answered number IX.

"Well not all of us can go from pansy to badass to less than two seconds," replied Axel. "Moody little freak…" He muttered quietly, causing Roxas to chuckle.

"Hey, what is he muttering about over there?" asked Demyx.

"What a kiss ass Luxord is," answered Roxas without batting an eye.

Axel mouthed _thank you_ to his best friend as Luxord started speaking again in an even more strained tone. "Next we have the second-row forwards, they're very active players, who make a lot of runs and do a lot of tackling. Saïx and Marluxia will fill these positions. Go stand over the eleven and twelve spots."

"Notice they didn't get a please either," commented Roxas.

"Who cares?" snapped Larxene.

"Five Munny says Saïx ends up 'accidentally' taking out Marluxia," said Axel.

"You're on," replied Roxas.

"Think he's going to go Berserker at some point?" asked Demyx.

"That would be entertaining," replied Axel, "Remember the Christmas party?"

The Melodious Nocturne chortled, "Oh yeah…I got a photo."

"I'm definitely getting a copy of that," said Roxas as he chuckled.

"The last position is the loose forward, which is obviously yours, Xigbar," said Luxord as he started walking towards the spot marked six. "You have the widest scope of roles and responsibilities of the whole forward pack. Go stand over the thirteen."

The Freeshooter smirked and took his position as the Nobodies created to play as the opposing team took their positions...

Of course, the Organization quickly learned that expecting creatures that you are in complete control of to work out their own strategy just does not work.

* * *

"Well that was a waste of time," muttered Roxas as a few of the Nobodies left the castle. 

"I don't know, it was rather entertaining," said Demyx. "I'll never forget the look on Larxene's face when Zexion pulled the lexicon on her."

"She asked for it," grinned Axel "…And I made five Munny."

"Stupid Saïx…" muttered Roxas.

"Well, see ya Demyx," said Axel with a wave. "Roxas and I have to see about a bird."

"This has to be the strangest order yet," added the youngest member of the Organization.

"Whatever; just follow the order," said Axel. "At least we got sent on this wild raven chase together."


	28. Hippopotomonstosesquipedaliophobia

_Prompt: Hippopotomonstosesquipedaliophobia_

_Given by: Reina-183_

_Setting: The Mansion, KHII opening_

_Pairing: (possibly one-sided) Naminè/Roxas_

* * *

Naminè entered the computer room to find Riku (who called himself 'Ansem' now, she reminded herself) as still as a statue, staring at the data that zoomed across the screen before him.

"Have you been in here all day?" asked the Nobody.

"I'm keeping watch," answered the boy who no longer looked like a boy.

She walked over to look at the screen as well. "I still have trouble figuring out what all this data means."

"I don't even see data anymore," replied Riku. "I see Roxas whining, Mr. Extremist overreacting, and Mr. Mellow gossiping with Ms. Prefect."

Naminè chuckled. "You've really gotten the hang of this."

Riku shrugged and continued to stare at the screen.

"He's not what you expected, is he?" asked Naminè. "Roxas, I mean."

Riku shook his head under his cloak. "I thought he'd be more like Sora."

"He's different than he was with the Organization," said Naminè. "Do you think this is how he would have been if he never met them?"

"I think he would have been more of a combination of both," replied Riku. "They taught him to feed his anger, DiZ tried to suppress it, neither is really him."

The Nobody tilted her head as she thought about that.

She straightened a moment later when the screen blinked and the data looked different afterwards.

"What happened?" she asked, unconcerned, as Riku would have reacted if anything were amiss.

"They switched areas," the boy explained. "Now the drama club is…I guess we can call it fighting with the reject with the lame insults, and the guy who has to tack 'ya know' onto every sentence and the girl who's afraid of big words are making excuses for the reject."

"Do you eve just call them by their names?" asked Naminè through her giggles.

The hooded head shook again. "The only one who technically exists is Roxas anyway. The rest are just data."

Naminè looked down. "You know, Roxas doesn't technically exist either."

"According to DiZ," commented Riku. "If that's true, then he fights pretty well for a figment of my imagination."

"Maybe we just weren't supposed to exist then," replied the Nobody.

"A lot of things that shouldn't exist do," said Riku.

"Roxas won't for much longer," Naminè said sadly.

"I'm sorry, but we need him to bring Sora back," answered Riku.

"I understand," replied the Nobody. She turned her head to look at the silver-haired boy. "You don't talk about us like DiZ does."

"I'm fine with leaving you alone after were done, as long as you leave Sora's memories alone," said Riku. "If they weren't messing with our worlds, I'd leave the Organization alone too."

"I guess not everything is black and white," commented Naminè.

"Nothing ever is," replied the boy.

The Nobody returned her attention to the monitor and pictured Roxas as she watched the data dance across the screen. "I wonder if he knows that."

"Maybe you should tell him," replied Riku.

Her blue eyes remained fixed on the screen. "Do you think it would make any difference?"

Riku inclined his head toward the data on the screen. "That glare is Sora's. They aren't the same, but they are a part of each other…and they always will be."

Naminè tilted her head. "I think he should know…but DiZ won't want me to tell him."

"Who says you need his permission?" questioned Riku. "We're all needed to pull this off. I don't recall voting for a leader."

"I guess we're each going our own way after this is finished," said Naminè. "I don't think it's the last I'll see of you or Roxas though."

"If you decide to stick with him, you might end up stuck with me too," commented Riku. "You'll have to share with Kairi though…of course, that was a given either way."

Naminè turned her head to the boy abruptly. "Does DiZ know?"

"I doubt it," answered Riku. "I can ask if you'd like."

"Would he tell you?" asked the Nobody.

"No," answered the boy without pause for thought, "But I can tell whether he actually knows or not."

"How do I do it?" asked the white witch. "Is it possible to still meet him?"

Riku turned toward the Nobody, and she understood what he had meant about Sora's glare because, despite the foreign body, that smirk was definitely Riku's.


	29. Luminescent 2

_Prompt: Luminescent_

_Given by: Reina-183_

_Setting: Radiant Garden, Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Pre Cloud/Riku_

* * *

"Cid is just teasing you and you're making it fun by reacting this way," said Leon as he looked over some old blueprints at Ansem's old desk.

Cloud was leaning against a wall on the opposite side of the room. "You would have thought he'd outgrow that by now."

"He never will," replied the scarred man. "You should have figured that out by now."

Loud footsteps suddenly approached the study from the computer room, along with a few giggles.

Cloud and Leon stopped talking and watched as Sora ran passed them with Riku close behind the spiky-haired brunette.

"Hey, watch it," said Leon as Sora came dangerously close to ramming into a bookcase. Ironically, Riku was the one who prevented him from injuring himself. Leon suspected the teal-eyed boy wanted to save that pleasure for himself, considering the way they came barrelling into the room.

"Sorry," Sora said with suppressed laughter as Riku murmured something and looked slightly apologetic and a little embarrassed too.

"What are you two doing here anyway?" asked Leon. "I thought you were going to be checking out something in The Land of Dragons."

"We did," answered Sora. "We needed to check something on the computer and I figured it would be better to have Riku do it."

"Considering what happened the last time you tried to use it, I'd say that was a good idea," commented the scarred man with a smirk.

"Hey! That could have happened to anyone who doesn't know about computers," muttered Sora.

"Sure it could have," replied Leon, smirk still in place, as he returned to the blueprints he had been restoring.

"You started bashing random keys when it failed to do what you wanted, didn't you?" asked Riku with a small grin.

"Not all of us are computer whizzes who learned under Ansem the Wise, okay?" replied Sora. "At least I can see something when it's right in front of me…"

"Yeah, as long as it isn't a dangerous object practically screaming at you not to touch it," retorted Riku easily.

"Again, that happened once," said Sora, holding up one finger as if the visual aid would help him prove his point.

"Do we want to know?" asked Cloud.

"Probably not," answered Riku.

The blonde man stepped away from the wall and regarded the two teenagers. "Is that why you're back early?"

"Yep," answered Sora brightly as Riku seemed to avoid eye contact with the former SOLDIER. "Turned out we needed to just leave it alone. Luckily, Riku can smell danger a mile away, so we avoided releasing an ancient evil entity."

The silver-haired boy snorted. "You mean I have common sense."

"I think Riku was right; I don't want to know," replied Cloud, whose eyes flicked over to the teal-eyed boy briefly.

"Hey," Sora said, looking at Cloud's face intently. "Your eyes are sort of glowy."

"Glowy?" repeated the blonde man.

"That isn't a real word, Sora," commented Riku.

"You know…the same with Reno's and Sephir-er…only they're a different colour…but they're still…er…" Sora scrunched up his face in thought.

"They're luminescent," said Riku, who was staring into the man's eyes while he was watching Sora.

When both Cloud and Sora turned to Riku (even Leon turned his eyes toward the boy), the silver-haired teen turned his face away slightly.

Sora grinned when he noticed the slight smile on Cloud's face. "You would know…" He muttered to Riku, whose face lowered, further hiding it under his long silver bangs.

Cloud turned his attention to the spiky-haired boy. "What?"

Leon tried to disguise a snort as a cough, while Sora just grinned. "He notices luminescent things…usually."

"Oh," said Cloud as he took on a look of slight confusion, which only Leon recognised as well hidden disappointment.

"I think Sora is referring to the Mako," stated Leon.

Cloud's expression darkened.

"What's Mako?" asked Sora, as Riku threw him a look that he did not notice.

Cloud however, did notice. "It's alright, Riku. After what happened here, a few of us were involved in something. As a part of this, we were exposed to a substance called Mako to make us better soldiers. That's why my eyes have a faint glow, the same for Reno and Sephiroth."

Cloud's mood had notably darkened during his brief explanation. Sora looked confused and a little lost. Riku offered Cloud a look of understanding. Leon could not help but raise an eyebrow when he noticed that his friend clearly took some comfort from the silver-haired boy's support.

"Riku," Leon said as he switched his gaze from Cloud to the boy. Teal eyes turned to him. "We've been having some trouble adapting a few of Ansem's old systems. Do you think you could stay a few days and help us out with that?"

"Sure," said Riku, then he turned to his best friend; "Unless Sora has another bright idea to risk our lives."

"No, we can stay," said the blue-eyed boy with a grin.

Riku nodded once and turned back to Leon. "Alright then, which programs?"

"Cid left a list in the computer room," said Leon as he moved to lower his blueprints.

"That's alright," said Riku as he started headed toward the computer room. "I noticed a programs list in there earlier that I wondered about."

Leon nodded to the boy as he left the room.

Sora turned to wave to the two men, "I'll see if I can help him at all."

"You'll probably just it make it harder for him," said Cloud, whose eyes were still on the door Riku had just passed though. "Don't get him sucked into the computer."

"Fine," Sora turned to Leon. "Can I help you, then?"

The scarred man's eyes darted to the boy. "Actually, Aerith was just saying how nice it was to have Kairi's help in the gardens, and I'm sure they could use more manpower out there."

"Great," said Sora as he turned for the exit. "See you guys later," he called with a wave.

Leon turned to face Cloud just as Mako eyes darted over to him. "What was that about?" questioned the blonde.

"We need help with the computer and that kid's the best at it. Cid said he was a lot of help with the computer before, and he did learn a lot from Ansem himself, so he knows his pass codes and such," Leon explained levelly. "Besides, I thought you would enjoy having the kid around for a while."

"You thought what?" asked Cloud sternly. "First of all, I never said I wanted him around, and what about all those cracks about his age earlier?"

"You don't have to say it," responded Leon. "It's obvious in the way you talk about that kid and the way you look at him. Cid was mainly joking about the whole jailbait thing, he's just happy to see you getting back to your old self. Shera and Zell are the only ones who are probably going to have a serious problem with the age thing."

"Out of our friends, yes, but not the whole town," commented Cloud, "But that doesn't mater anyway, because I am not seriously interested in the kid. I just…" the former SOLDIER's voice lost its sternness. "I just don't know."

"Look," said Leon. "Cid's right about the jailbait thing. It's illegal and I'm not going to pretend to understand it completely, but the Mako isn't the only thing making your eyes luminescent when that kid is around."

Cloud just stared at his friend for a moment. "You're actually encouraging this?"

"Cid isn't the only one who's happy to see you getting back to your old self," replied Leon.

"What makes you even think Riku would be interested?" asked Cloud.

"Well if you could keep your attention off of him for more than a few seconds, you would have noticed Sora teasing him about you." Leon crossed his arms. "Also, why else would that kid shy away from you after the eyes comment?"

"Maybe you're right…" Cloud took on a thoughtful expression as he looked towards the door to the computer room.

Leon rolled his eyes. "I guess Riku isn't the only one to miss something's luminance at times," he muttered as he returned to his blueprints.


	30. Borborygmi

_Prompt: Borborygmi_

_Given by: Reina-183_

_Setting: Pre KHII_

_Pairing: None_

_Author's note: This one is not my usual style and I originally planned to take it further, but it strikes me as is for some reason. Any comments on the style will be noted and appreciated (and possibly mocked with my friends). Thanks._

* * *

Riku stumbled out of a dark portal and fell to his knees. 

Blood and sweat dripped off him as he regained his bearings. He looked around to see exactly where he had ended up after that swift departure.

The land he was in was barren, dusty, and a little dismal looking. He forced himself to his feet, knowing he was too weak now to use a Health Potion Spell and having no idea where he was going.

There was not much he could do to assist Sora in his current situation. DiZ and Naminè seemed to have that taken care of anyway. Therefore, the Keyblade Mater had decided to ensure that the worlds were recovering from the Heartless, and to prepare to help Sora once his friend awakened.

As his aching body protested its continued use and his stomach groaned to express its own displeasure at the length of time the boy had gone without eating, the blindfolded boy began moving again. It was dangerous to stay still for too long under these conditions.

Riku was suddenly very glad that Sora had made so many friends over the course of his journey.

This was so much more difficult to do alone and unknown.


	31. Twenty One

_Prompt: Twenty-one_

_Given by: The Glass Slipper_

_Setting: Radiant Garden, Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Tifa/Rude, hints at Pre-Cloud/Riku_

* * *

Leon, Cloud, Cid, Tifa, Rude, and Reno sat around a table as Leon's house, talking, laughing, and waiting for Cid to finish shuffling a deck of cards when there was a knock at the door.

"People actually knock around here?" asked Reno.

"They do at my house," answered the scarred man as he stood and headed out of the room. He returned a moment later with Riku in tow.

"Hey Jailbait," called Cid, earning him a questioning look from the boy, an irritated one from Cloud, and an amused expression from everyone else in the room.

"Not that I don't like having some competent help with the computer system, but don't you have a home you need to return to at some point?" asked the Gummi pilot.

"Not really," the silver-haired teen answered with a conversational tone and a calm expression.

Before any of the adults could question (or really process) this odd response, Sora ambled into the room, "Hey everybody! What are you guys doing?"

"I guess even the great leader can't expect the Keyblade's chosen wielder to knock," commented Reno with a smirk.

"Riku's a chosen wielder too," said Cloud.

"I think the 'no knocking' is just a Sora thing," commented Tifa as she leaned her head on Rude's shoulder.

Leon decided to answer Sora's question instead of joining the others' conversation. "We're playing blackjack."

"Huh? What's that?" asked the spiky-haired boy at the same time his teal-eyed friend questioned, "What's blackjack?"

"It's a card game," said Leon.

"We're just going to start a new game, if you boys want in," said Cid as he finished shuffling the deck.

Riku arched an eyebrow and Sora responded, "We don't know how to play. We've never even heard of it before."

"Besides," added Tifa, "We can't take their Munny. They're just kids."

"…And I think we've got too players for one deck with them in," added Rude.

"We can play without Munny for a few hands," stated Leon.

"Or they can bet something besides Munny," commented Reno.

"Leon and I are the best players, so we can sit out and show them," added Cloud, ignoring the redhead. "Leon can help Sora, and I'll take Riku."

"There's a surprise," muttered Cid at the same time Reno murmured, "I bet you would." Tifa giggled, the corner of Rude's mouth quirked up, Leon smirked, Cloud glared, and the two teens exchanged a questioning glance.

"Do you get the feeling you're missing something?" Sora asked the silver-haired boy.

"Around these guys," answered Riku, "constantly." Then, the teal-eyed boy took the seat Cloud pulled up beside his own.

Sora shrugged and pulled a chair next to Leon's as Cid began to deal the cards.

"Hold on," said Reno, "We haven't decided about bets yet."

"We aren't taking the kids Munny," said Rude, earning him a kiss on the cheek from Tifa.

"Well, what about my idea about betting something besides Munny?" questioned Reno.

"Like what?" asked Cloud with a slightly warning edge to his voice.

"What about time?" suggested Cid. "Li'l Spiky can put in some time at my Gummi garage if he loses, and pretty boy can put in more time in the computer room?"

"What about everybody else?" asked Sora.

"Cid is the dealer, so he's the only one you need to worry about. Everyone's technically playing an independent game with him," replied Leon.

"That sounds fair then," said Riku.

"What about if they win?" asked Cloud.

"You could work on some updates for my ship if I win," suggested Sora brightly.

"That'll work," replied the Gummi pilot. "What about you, kid?" he asked as he turned to Riku.

"You could give me some free reign time on the computer," answered Riku calmly.

"As long as you don't do anything to the town, that's fine with me," responded Cid as he lit a cigarette before continuing to deal the cards.

"So how do we play?" Sora asked Leon before his cards were dealt to him.

"You get dealt two cards," explained the grey-eyed man, "and then you have to decide how many more to take. The goal is to have the highest total as long as it doesn't exceed twenty-one; if it does, it's a bust."

Sora looked confused, and Riku voiced the question, as his teal eyes turned to Cloud, "Total?"

Cloud picked up the explanation as soon as the cyan eyes fell onto him. "Cards two through ten are worth their face value; queens, kings, and jacks are worth ten, and aces are worth eleven unless that would cause you to bust, then they're only worth one."

"Bust basically means lose, right?" asked Sora as his cards were placed before him. Leon nodded in response.

Riku was still looking at Cloud when his own cards were laid down. "What happens if we tie?"

"It's called a 'push' and nobody wins then," answered the blonde man.

"Hit me," said Reno.

"He doesn't mean that literally, Sora," commented Riku without turning away from Cloud, who was quietly explaining something about the game to him.

This caused everyone to look at the two teens. Riku was still focusing on Cloud, while Sora looked confused.

"When someone asks for a hit, they mean they want another card," explained Leon.

Cloud continued to murmur to Riku, and Leon answered a constant stream of questions from Sora, as the others at the table started up their own conversations.

When both Sora and Riku won their first hand, Cid just laughed and called it beginner's luck.

When they each won their second hand, Leon looked amused, Cloud looked proud, and the others were a little more impressed. It seemed as if Cid was about to suggest they try the next one on their own.

...Until Riku asked Cloud something that caused the former SOLDIER to pull his attention away from the boy for the first time since they started playing.

"Reno…why does one of your cards not match the rest of the deck?" asked the blonde man.

The redhead glanced at his cards and paused for a moment before answering. The colours on one card were slightly duller than the other cards, and it was marginally thicker as well. It was such a slight difference that no one noticed until they stopped and looked…even then, those without Mako enhanced eyes had trouble noting a difference.

"I guess a couple cards got mixed up the last time we played," answered Reno after seeming to think very quickly.

"We didn't use multiple decks last time either," commented Tifa.

Rude picked up the card and the corner of his mouth twitched. He laid the card face down on the table, waited a few seconds, and then turned it over to reveal a different card.

"Rude, come on," whined Reno, "You're supposed to be my buddy, partner, brother in arms…"

"The card is enchanted?" asked Tifa incredulously.

Reno chuckled nervously, "I wondered about my luck…"

"You cheating bastard," grumbled Cid, "I want my Munny back."

The redhead sighed, "Fine…" He returned all the Munny he had won from Cid that evening and shoved the card into his pocket as Cid shuffled the deck again. He gave Rude a pout. "You just did that 'cause your girl started played in the card games."

This caused all the usual players to look at Reno accusingly. "You've used that before?" question Leon.

"Er…Not with you…?" responded Reno.

"I see that card again and I'm burning it, we clear?" said the Gummi pilot as he dealt the next hand.

"Crystal," replied the redheaded Turk.

Both Sora and Reno lost the third hand. Riku won again, although he seemed to be paying more attention to Cloud, who continued to murmur to him despite the fact that there seemed to be very little left he could be teaching the boy.

"Not so good without your lucky card, are ya?" muttered Cid as he took Reno's Munny.

"Hey, ya win some, ya se some," responded the redhead with a shrug. Then his eyes flicked over to the silver-haired boy sitting two seats away. "How did you spot that from there anyway?"

"Riku's good with observations," replied Sora as he received his new hand.

"He's also got a talent for card counting, it seems," commented Cloud with a grin.

"What?" asked Sora.

"It means he can keep track of which cards have been played, discern what's left in the deck, and figure out what the odds are of him getting the points he needs," explained Leon. "If he's good at it, he'll almost never bust."

"I think he is," commented Cloud, grin still present.

"In that case, you ought'a teach him poker," said Reno.

Mako blue eyes returned to the silver-haired teen. "There's an idea," said Cloud.

"In the meantime, why don't you let the kids try a hand on their own?" suggested Cid.

Cloud returned his attention to Riku. "Think you're ready for that?"

"Yeah," Riku said with a soft but confident smile, which the blue-eyed man returned while he brushed the boy's bangs out of his eyes.

"What about you?" Leon asked Sora as he shook his head at the former SOLDIER's rare obvious display of affection.

"Definitely," replied the spiky-haired boy with a beaming grin.

Tifa chuckled, "Well, they're certainly confident."

"They won't be for long," said Reno.

By the time the two boy's called it a night, Sora only had to put in a few hours at the Gummi garage, and Cid would be adding a new cockpit, warp drive, and to canon to Sora's Gummi ship, as well as adding new shields all around. Riku had so much free reign time on the computer that Cid, Leon, and even Tifa were beginning to worry about what he planed to do with it. Cloud could not seem to think about anything beyond the small smiles and murmured conversation he shared with the boy all evening.

Reno left after another game without the kids, Rude and Tifa left shortly after. Cloud was helping Leon put away the extra chairs when the brunette smiled at his friend. "You know, I could get used to having those two around."

"They are something else, aren't they?" commented the blonde.

Leon rolled his eyes, "Yeah, I'm sure you were paying attention to both of them."

The scarred man dodged an empty soda can aimed at his head before deciding to head to bed himself.

Cloud smiled to himself as he headed towards his room.

Game night just got a hell of a lot more interesting.


	32. Autumn

_Prompt: Autumn_

_Given by: The Glass Slipper_

_Setting: Halloween Town, Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None, Hints at Pre-Cloud/Riku_

* * *

The first thing Sora heard when they arrived in Halloween Town was the ear-piercing scream Kairi released right beside him. 

"Gee, thanks Kairi," he muttered as he rubbed his still-ringing ear.

"W-What's happening?!" cried the auburn-haired girl as she looked down at herself.

Sora turned his head and had to fight back a laugh.

Kairi's skin had taken on a greenish hue, her auburn hair looked the way Sora imagined yarn that had been stuck into an electrical socket would, her usually bright smile would now show teeth that were not nearly as straight or even as usual, and her clothing had changed drastically. The usually fashionable teen was now wearing a shapeless, unmarked, greyish-purple dress that ran from her throat to her calves, with a matching cone-shaped witch's hat, pointy black shoes, and green and dark purple striped stockings. She looked every bit the storybook witch.

"I forgot to mention that, didn't I?" Sora mumbled nervously. "Our appearances get changed here to help us blend in."

"Yeah, I'd say you forgot that little detail," snapped the witch.

"Sorry…" Sora offered the girl a smile, "You don't make a bad…er…never mind."

"What are you supposed to be anyway?" asked Kairi as she took in Sora's new appearance.

"He's a vampire," replied Riku from behind Sora.

Kairi looked Sora over again, "Yeah, I think you're- AHHH!"

Sora spun around on the spot to see what had frightened his friend. Riku merely turned his head to glance over his shoulder.

"What?" asked Sora as he glanced back at Kairi.

"What do you mean '_what_'?" demanded the girl, "_Look _at him. I wasn't expecting that, okay?"

Sora turned back to Riku…and then finally noticed the other boy's appearance.

Riku's skin had turned deathly pale, giving it an almost glowing effect, except for the extremely dark circles around his eyes, which combined with his silver hair and marble-like complexion, caused his bright teal eyes to appear to be glowing. His fingernails were longer and sharp at the ends, looking more like claws than nails. The largest difference was actually two large, black feathered wings, which protruded from somewhere around Riku's shoulder blades and ran nearly the entire length of the boy's body. His clothes were darker and had become more tapered.

Sora tilted his head in thought, "Fallen angel?"

Both wings and shoulders lifted slightly as Riku shrugged in response.

"I wonder if he can actually fly with those…," said Kairi as she too tilted her head while examining their friend's new appearance.

"Probably not," replied Sora, "I can't." The vampire indicated his small, bat-like wings.

"Well, his wings are a little more appropriately proportioned for it," the witch responded.

"Why don't I test it after we've met up with the others?" asked the fallen angel. Teal eyes turned to Sora. "Where did you tell them to land, anyway?"

"Oh, right," said the blue-eyed boy before he turned into the nearby woods, "This way."

After the odd party had walked a fair distance, Riku stopped and seemed to strain his eyes to see something further in the woods to their right.

"Uh…I think that's Leon," said the silver-haired boy, "Yeah, there's Cloud and Tifa."

Sora glanced at the girl beside him, "Do you want to prepare for a minute?"

"No," she answered, somewhat irritably. "Now that I know what to expect, I'll be fine. Besides, it's still you guys…you just look different."

"Yep," said Sora as Riku nodded to the auburn-haired girl. The three friends turned to join their other friends.

The three adults were leaning against the Gummi ship in which they had arrived. All three looked over to the teenagers as they approached, and seemed to use the time it took them to cross the clearing to take in their new appearances.

"There you are," said Leon. His coat, which had grown in length, had become very dark brown colour and was frayed at the edges, and scars and stitches covered his skin. Different portions of his skin seemed to have different flesh tones, and one of his eyes were grey while the other was dark blue; it looked as though he were stitched together from parts of different people.

"We were starting to wonder if we landed in the wrong clearing," added Tifa. Her skin had also paled, long fangs gleamed from her mouth as she spoke, her usually mahogany eyes looked a deep red against her pale skin, and she sported small bat-like wings just like Sora. She had an orange and black striped long sleeved shirt on under her usual black vest, and matching socks covering the parts of her skin that were normally bare.

"Considering that they were heading in a different direction, I think we did," commented Cloud. He had two large, leathery black and crimson wings, which looked moth-eaten at the ends and had large spikes at the tips. His fingernails were certainly claws, and his skin had paled considerably, causing his Mako eyes to stand out even more than usual. The additional strip of cloth that normally adorned his pants had vanished, and he wore black arm warmers along with his usual dark sleeveless shirt.

"Well, a lot of these clearing look the same," said Leon.

"Actually," Kairi looked around, "They kind of do."

Sora looked over the three adults. "Alright, so I'm guessing, Frankenstein monster, Vampire, and…demon, maybe?"

"Works for me," said Tifa with a shrug.

"Riku," Cloud said in a slightly questioning tone.

Sora turned and noticed his best friend was also looking around the clearing, although he had never seen that expression on the teal-eyed boy's face before. He wore a soft smile and his eyes seemed brighter than they had been since before his time in Kingdom Hearts…it was almost peaceful.

Of course, just then the silver-haired teen turned to acknowledge Cloud. The smile fell from his lips as he turned, but it was still present in his eyes; "Yeah?"

"What were looking at?" asked the blonde man.

"The trees," answered Riku, looking slightly embarrassed. Sora was surprised that he had answered at all.

"What about them?" asked Cloud as he approached the silver-haired boy.

Wings and shoulders shrugged together. "I've never seen trees like this…I like the colours."

"They are really pretty," agreed Kairi as she too continued to take in the surrounding woods.

"Well, it is Halloween Town," said Leon, "It's probably always autumn here."

"Leon, they're from a tropical world," commented Tifa. "They've probably never experienced a true autumn before."

"Oh, you're right, I hadn't noticed that before…," said Sora as he looked around.

"You should come to Radiant Garden during your fall break at school," suggested Tifa. "Aerith's gardens and the park should look beautiful."

"Oh, we definitely will," replied Kairi, "Right guys?"

"Assuming my mom and your dad let us, yeah," responded Sora with a smile. "I'm sure they will though."

Cloud looked at Riku and then glanced at the boy's wings. "Have you tried using those yet?"

"No," answered the silver-haired teen, "Have you?"

"No, but I don't have to, I had one while I had that contract with Hades," The former SOLDIER smirked at the boy. "Want to try it? If you like the view from here, you'll probably love it from up there."

Riku smiled and nodded, and then Cloud started giving him tips before they took off. Leon looked over at their winged companions. "Make sure you meet us at the town soon, Cloud. We did come here for a reason."

Cloud gave Leon a look that seemed to say 'stop talking', Riku however called over, "We will."

A moment later the pair appeared to jump, but spread their wings and continued rising instead of falling back down.

"That is so cool," said Sora. "I wished my wings worked."

"You've flown before," said Kairi lightly as she watched Cloud and Riku take off over the trees. "Now it's Riku's turn."

"Fine," pouted Sora, then he smiled at the others. "Hey, anyone want to see Santa Claus before we go find Jack?"

"Aren't we supposed be stopping some monster from ruining the holidays?" said Leon.

Kairi saw Cloud and Riku dive in the distance before a strange, unearthly shriek filled the woods. "I think that's already being taken care of…should we wait for them though?"

"Nah, Riku doesn't believe in Santa Claus anyway," said Sora.

"What about Cloud?" asked Kairi.

"I think Christmas will come soon enough for him anyway," said Tifa with a smile. "Come on, Leon; let's take the kids to see Santa."

To her surprise, Leon smirked and started walking with Sora, "It'll be worth it just to see which list we all ended up on after the past year."


	33. Shy

_Prompt: Shy_

_Given by: The Glass Slipper_

_Setting: Radiant Garden, Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Pre-Cloud/Riku_

* * *

While Sora's friends tended to call him a lazy bum, and he knew he did have a tendency to get sidetracked or move at his own leisure, the spiky-haired teen liked to think that he stepped up to a challenge and acted accordingly when it came to something important.

After all, he _had _fought thousands of Heartless and Nobodies, travelled all over the universe, saved the worlds twice and Kairi once. Of course, he had lots of help, support, and encouragement, but he still did what he needed to do.

When he saw a way for him to help ease someone's suffering or put destiny back on track, he did his best to achieve it…even if he needed to drag a few friends into the problem to do so, which he usually did.

Therefore, his current dilemma was quite a mystery to him. Why was he avoiding having to deal with the situation as if it were some unpleasant chore? It was obvious that someone needed to step in. His best friend's happiness and destiny were on the line, so why did Sora shy away now?

The blue-eyed boy sat on the wall he usually skateboarded on in The Borough. He looked down at his best friend, who was talking to one of his other friends.

Cloud had been leaning against the wall of the small house, no doubt having been kicked out by Cid, who did not like to be crowded while he was busy on his computer. Riku had been allowed to stay inside of course, because he was the only one who knew computers even better than Cid did.

…But now Riku had come out for a break, and the usually quiet man had struck up a conversation with the lately withdrawn teen almost instantly.

Sora noticed that the former SOLDIER tended to talk, smile, and even laugh whenever Riku was around. He also noticed that his enigmatic friend tended to open up and become more like his old self whenever the man did these things.

Even when they were not together, teal eyes that held a haunted look now tended to seek out the blonde man as if by their own will, and they softened whenever they found him. Likewise, Mako blue eyes did not seem to be able to stay off the silver-haired teen for long, and they lost their normally present hard edge whenever they fell upon the boy.

Riku normally kept his face down and turned away, hiding his eyes beyond a veil of too-long silver bangs that he refused to cut. However, he always seemed to meet Cloud's gaze. Cloud usually kept his head high, but stood facing slightly away from the people he was with, so they could not see his expression clearly, but he always turned to face Riku.

Riku always stood closer to Cloud than he did anyone else, and Cloud never seemed to pass up an excuse to touch Riku.

Both also spoke much more openly to the other, as if they shared some sort of bond or level of understanding that no one else could reach.

Sora had noticed all of this, he had also noticed that neither of them seemed to realise that they both were doing these things…or that they simply would not allow themselves to acknowledge what it meant. In any case, someone had to make them see the longing and emotions that they shared, or they would never be as happy as they could be…or _should _be, in Sora's opinion.

So why had he avoided intervening? It was not like him not to jump into his friends' business and problems.

Normally, he would turn to Riku in a situation like this, but that obviously was not an option this time.

"It sounds to me like Riku is a lot like Cloud, so you're probably staying out of it for the same reason I am," Leon said when Sora asked him about his current dilemma. "They like to handle their problems on their own. This isn't life or death, so there isn't any reason not to let them. Don't worry, I know Cloud will come around eventually…he always does."

"Are you worried about Cloud's darkness affecting Riku?" asked Aerith when the spiky-haired teen approached her about it. "They both have troubled pasts when it comes to the Darkness, but they both overcame it…they found their inner light. Don't worry about it; I think they actually would do each other a lot of good."

"Well, there is the slight issue that any relationship between them would be illegal for a few years on any given world," commented Cid when the blue-eyed boy came to him. "Of course, both Spiky and Jailbait know how to be careful and avoid detection…and it isn't like any of us are gonna turn Spiky in, so I don't get what he's waiting for either, but that's his problem."

"What can I say? Cloud is Cloud, and he has always been difficult," stated Tifa when Sora asked her about their friends. "He isn't going to do anything until he's brooded and beat himself up for awhile, but he usually does the right thing in the end. He may need a little push, but he'll let us know in his own way when the time comes for that."

"Well, I can see how it would be weird to walk up to your best friend and tell him _he _should go for a _man_…do you even know if Riku's aware of his preference?" questioned Yuffie when Sora decided to ask her about it. "I doubt that's a problem for Cloud, but Riku's age might be, or his bad past, or Cloud's bad past, or the way the darkness seems to have it in for both of them, or the fact Cloud thinks he's doomed to fail at everything…Wow, they have a lot of issues between the two of them, huh?"

"Has it occurred to you that you're afraid of losing Riku?" suggested Kairi when her spiky-haired friend suddenly blurted all of this out and basically begged her to fix it. "We both know that Riku has nothing holding him to the islands except for us. If he gets together with Cloud, the odds are, he's going to stay here. However, he'll always be our friend Sora, nothing will change that. Look at everything he went through to help us. He loves us and we love him, but he loves Cloud too, and it a completely different way. It's time we did something for him…we have to let him go."

"Are you sure you're not jealous?" questioned Reno when the brunette blurted out the issue to the redheaded Turk and his mostly silent partner. "You know, you and pretty boy are a bit closer than most buddies are. Rumour has it you actually _sobbed _when he revealed himself to you after all that stuff you two went through. Now, I'd feel bad about locking Rude here into the dark realm, and sure, I'd miss him, but I'm not gonna cling and cry when he finally shows up later."

Rather than help him find the reason why he chose to shy away from the issue, and subsequently help him figure out how to resolve it, Sora's attempt to find an answer had only led him to more questions.

Therefore, Sora shifted his weight and dangled his legs from the wall as he continued to watch Riku grin at something Cloud was saying. Then Cloud slowly walked away from the wall he had been leaning against, and approached Riku.

Cloud's strong, tanned hand brushed silver bangs away from teal eyes, and slid down a fair cheek before caressing a fine jaw line. Riku leaned in to the caress slightly. Mako blue stared into teal the entire time. Neither Cloud nor Riku showed any signs of moving away soon.

Up on the wall, Sora smiled to himself…

There was one less issue to shy away from.


	34. Break

_Prompt: Break_

_Given by: AsaHane_

_Setting: Hallow Bastian, KHI_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

He watched from the corners…from the darkness. Watched and waited as the witch slowly broke the boy.

She had plans for the remarkable child, but he had claimed the boy first.

The child's heart was like none he had ever encountered before; how he would have enjoyed the time to study it under different circumstances, but that had been another life.

Now, he had other purposes for the boy. To his great fortune, he was not the only one who sought to use the child…and the use to which the sorceress put the boy served his objectives as well. She was even leading them straight to the door to darkness.

In fact, one could claim that the witch was doing him a favour in breaking the child.

The silver-haired adolescent was slow to trust and hard to predict, but the boy also had definite weaknesses…and the witch knew just how to exploit them.

At first he thought that he would have his work cut out for him with the boy, after how much it took to get the questioning adolescent to open the door. He knew he really should thank the boy's friends for the overheard conversation that sent the heartbroken child right into place. However, once the first step was achieved, he did not have to fret, for the sorceress had found the boy and begun her slow manipulation straight away. She recognised the hidden power and quiet strength of the young Keyblade Master.

Every day that passed, she broke the boy a little more, and every crack in the child's heart took him a step closer to his victory.

The witch smiled cruelly to herself as she left the child crying, having twisted the callousness of the boy's friend, until even the friend himself would have considered it a betrayal. Now the broken adolescent racked with the pain of the perceived cold abandonment, and he smiled as the witch did.

She worked so cleverly to keep the child broken. She even used the boy to gain the power that would allow him to claim Kingdom Hearts once he returned to a physical form. Each piece was falling into place. All he needed to do was buy his time.

It was almost too easy.

If only the witch knew what was going to happen once she managed to break the boy.

He would deal with her then, when she thought she had won. Then, he would claim his own victory over all.

In the meantime, he continued to watch from the shadows and wait for the boy to break.


	35. Ignite

_Prompt: Ignite_

_Given by: AsaHane_

_Setting: Radiant Garden, Pre-KHII_

_Pairing: Er…Pre-Cloud/Riku_

* * *

Cloud looked over the Dark Depths, deep in thought.

He knew he should have said something before Riku left. No one knew what the boy was going to face and when he was going to return…_if _he would return.

Cloud would never forgive himself if the kid never made it back and he just let him go like that…without a word.

The boy awakened emotions in Cloud that had remained dormant for so long, the former SOLDIER had thought they were unreachable. Yet, Riku had managed to reach and ignite them without even trying.

Now, the recently ignited emotions within him were burning down the resistances that usually allowed him to stay away. He had let Riku get close…much closer than anyone else. The boy may be young, but he understood Cloud better than the man did himself at times.

Cloud still could not say when it had happened. They had never laid a hand on each other, but the kid had somehow managed to touch his heart.

Riku believed in Cloud; the boy looked up to him, understood him, and loved him.

…And he had let that go.


	36. Blaze

_Prompt: Blaze_

_Given by: AsaHane_

_Setting: Destiny Islands, Pre-KHI_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

_The ship craftily dodged the other vessel's fire as its own canons obliterated another enemy's ship. _

_They were greatly outnumbered, but the brave captain never faltered as he expertly shouted out commands to his faithful crew._

_The waters turned bloody as the battle reached its crescendo. _

_While the battle was won, the ship had taken too much damage. It entered the red sea in a blaze of bittersweet victory._

_The waters stilled, as the world seemed to take a moment of silence for the fallen brave…until…_

"Sora, what are you doing?" asked Riku facetiously as he stared at his best friend who sat at his kitchen table, head bowed, while tomato soup and oyster crackers covered most of the Formica surface.

"Er…eating lunch?" answered the spiky-haired brunette as his cheeks reddened until they matched the soup in his bowl…and over half the table.

The teal-eyed boy looked over the 'battlegrounds' once more before meeting his friend's gaze again. "Did the good guys win?"

"They always win, Riku," answered Sora with a slightly sad smile.

"Even heroes fall sometimes, Sora," commented the silver-haired boy as he retrieved a dishtowel.

The blue-eyed boy looked at his friend thoughtfully for a moment. "Then, let's promise to always pick each other back up if we ever become heroes."

Teal eyes blinked once at the sincerity, but Riku was too used to his best friend's antics to be fazed by the abrupt shift in mood. "You're such a sap sometimes, but fine, I promise."

"Me too," said Sora with a smile as the silver-haired boy helped him clean up his mess.


	37. Oops

_Prompt: Oops_

_Given by: Kryal_

_Setting: Radiant Garden, Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Tifa/Rude, Hints at Pre-Cloud/Riku_

* * *

"So are Li'l Spiky and Jailbait gonna join us tonight?" asked Cid as he shuffled a deck of cards. 

Cloud, who had been setting another chair out, glared at the Gummi pilot while the others did not respond. Tifa and Rude were currently whispering to one another, Reno and Zell were laughing at something the redhead had said, and Leon was carrying a case of drinks to the table.

"Don't call him that," said Cloud, "He has enough issues to deal with already."

"I don't call him that…well, not normally," replied the elder blonde. "I usually call him 'Kid' or 'Pretty Boy'. I _refer _to him as 'Jailbait' around you since that what he is to you."

Cloud's glare increased until it was a wonder his gaze did not burn the older man. Tifa stifled a laugh, beside her, Rude's lip quirked in his own mild show of amusement. Reno and Zell were making no attempt to hold back their laughter, and Leon was smirking at his spiky-haired friend.

"To answer your question, Cid; Yes, Sora and Riku should be here soon," stated Leon.

"Do they know how to play?" asked Zell.

"No," replied the scarred man, "But Cloud and I will teach them for the first few hands. We have enough players as it is."

"Yeah, that's true," responded the tattooed man, "At least I'll finally get to meet this kid Strife has been lusting after."

"It's not like that, Dincht," Cloud yelled from the kitchen, where he was getting another chair.

"Sure it isn't," Leon called back, the smirk evident in his voice.

Suddenly they heard the front door open.

"That would be Sora," commented Leon.

"I think Riku's with him," said Cloud as he returned from the kitchen with a chair.

"Either that, or Sora's talking to himself," added Reno.

"That wouldn't surprise me," commented Tifa.

Sora's voice drifted into the room, followed by the spiky-haired boy. "…So then the spatula got stuck, too. Hey, everybody!"

Leon and Cloud immediately turned their eyes to the silver-haired boy who entered behind Sora.

"You don't want to know," commented Riku.

Both men nodded once before turning to take their seats.

"We're going to teach you the same way as last time, okay?" Leon stated more than asked.

"Works for me," said Sora as he plopped down into the seat beside the scarred man while Riku quietly seated himself beside Cloud.

The teal-eyed boy turned to the former SOLDIER, "What exactly are we playing, anyway?"

"Traverse Hold 'Em," answered the blue-eyed man. "Each player gets two cards and you make the best hand you can out of them and the board."

"Board?" Sora asked, looking around.

"The group of cards that the dealer will lay face up in the middle of the table," explained Leon.

"This time you might want to try keeping a neutral expression, Sora," added Reno.

"Wait, how are we going to handle bets this time?" asked Tifa. "They're playing against everyone, not just Cid."

"Time seems to work," stated Cid. "I'm sure the rest of you can find something for 'em to do."

Sora looked around the table, "But what about if we win?"

"You can pass the buck," said Reno. "You know, have the loser fill in for the time you lost," he added at the young brunette's confused expression.

"I don't want some of you on the computer or in my garage," commented Cid.

"We'll take those jobs then and pass along other ones," replied Sora.

"…Or we could come up with our own projects for them," added Riku, looking at Sora.

The blue-eyed boy grinned, "Like what?"

"Well, you've been complaining about that skateboard park not getting worked on, and I have a few ideas," answered the teal-eyed boy.

"Okay, we'll do that then," said Sora, who was still grinning and appeared to be thinking.

"That actually sounds interesting," commented Zell, "We should be more creative with betting."

"Munny works for me," commented Reno.

Tifa chuckled, "Why don't we just make the time count for the kids?"

"That works," said Leon. "One Munny will equal ten minutes, alright?"

"Sounds fair," said Sora as Riku nodded his agreement.

The cards were dealt, and once again Leon was bombarded with a dozen questions while Cloud calmly murmured instructions and advice to Riku, who seemed to be paying more attention to the blonde man than to the game itself…until he won the first hand anyway.

"Hey…" said Sora abruptly as he turned to his best friend. "What are you going to have me do with the time you just won?"

"Test the program I've been working on," said Riku without a moment's hesitation.

"Is that what you've been doing with the time you won in the last game?" asked Cid.

"You built your own program on Ansem's computer?" Tifa asked, clearly impressed.

"That is one of the most complicated and non-user friendly pieces of equipment I have ever seen," remarked Leon. "How are you doing it?"

"Did you get Tron to help?" asked Sora.

"No, I prefer to do it myself," replied the silver-haired teen. "DiZ set up his computer in Twilight Town similarly, so it's not hard for me use."

"What does the program do?" asked Zell.

"You'll see when it's finished," responded the teal-eyed boy with a small smirk.

"Fine by me," said Cid as he finished shuffling the deck. "Now can we get back to the game?"

Both teens murmured brief apologies before returning their attention to their 'mentors'.

Leon spent most of the next round explaining the value of different hands to Sora and constantly reminding the boy to keep quiet on what hand he holding.

"It doesn't really matter anyway, Leon," commented Zell. "The kid has the worst poker face I've ever seen."

"Actually, I can't tell what he has, since his expression keeps changing," said Tifa as Rude briefly nodded his agreement.

"She has a point," Reno's eyes flicked over to Riku. "That kid on the other hand, shows nothing, but I think he's always like that."

"I don't know," said Cid. "I seen him smile at Spiky a few times…Kid even laughed at something he said the other day."

Riku, looking slightly uncomfortable at being the topic of discussion, shrugged lightly; "He's funny."

Everyone looked up from their hands and started at the adolescent.

After a brief moment, Zell spoke. "You think Strife is funny?"

"He can be," Tifa chimed in, and Riku nodded to the statement.

Next to Riku, Cloud wore a small smile as he watched the teal-eyed boy. After a moment, he glanced at the others. "Are we going to continue playing, or what?"

As if suddenly remembering what they had been doing, everyone return to the game.

The next round was won by Sora, mainly because he announced what a good hand he had (much to Leon's exasperation), causing half of the others to fold right away.

Reno and Riku each won the next two rounds. Sora seemed to catch on that he needed to learn some discretion for this game and he returned to quietly (at least by his standards) asking Leon questions.

A kicker had to determine the victor between Reno and Riku again for the next round.

"You know kid, you're pretty good," commented the Turk as he gathered his winnings. "I should show you a few tricks."

"Like the card in your sleeve?" question the teal-eyed boy with an expression of vague interest.

Again, everyone stopped and looked at the boy…then their gazes moved to Reno.

"Oops…How did that fall in there…?" commented the redhead with a strained chuckle as he pulled a card out of his right sleeve.

"Reno," said Rude disapprovingly.

"Yeah, I know…" commented his partner before returning his winnings from the previous round as he muttered. "Geez, the kid's almost harder to slip past than Cloud is…"

"I'll take that as compliment," murmured Riku.

"You would," Sora muttered under his breath just as he raised his drink to his mouth, causing only Leon and Riku to hear. The elder quirked an eyebrow as he looked between the two boys, while the silver-haired adolescent flushed and suddenly found the chips in front of him interesting.

...Until Cloud leaned closer to him, placed a hand on his shoulder, and continued speaking to him in hushed tones.

Tifa won the next round. "Good, the tavern could use a good cleaning," she commented as she smiled at the two boys.

By the end of the evening, Sora and Riku had still won the most often. Cid commented that he was looking forward to seeing what Riku was up to on Ansem's computer, which seemed to please the boy (that _was _about as close to a compliment as one received from the Gummi pilot). Sora was excitedly prattling about the skateboard park as he followed his friend (who paused to say goodnight to Cloud) out of the house.

"Oh, I almost forgot," commented Leon with as close to a mischievous grin as he was capable of producing, "Sora was mentioning how difficult Archimedes was being, you know he doesn't like kids very much, plus it's pretty crowded at Merlin's place, so I invited him and Riku to stay here with us."

Cloud paused in the middle of folding the spare table they had used, looking more torn than Leon had ever seen him.

The brunette was definitely grinning now. "They'll bring their stuff over tomorrow. I'm sure you don't mind." The scarred man continued to grin as he turned and headed to his room.

The look of mixed shock, concern, and delight remained on Cloud's face as he headed to his own room.

The next week was going to be interesting.


	38. Assumptions

_Prompt: Assumptions_

_Given by Kryal_

_Setting: Radiant Garden, Post-KHII_

_Pairing: (possibly one-sided) Aerith/Leon; Tifa/Rude_

* * *

Throughout everything that occurred once the Heartless arrived on their world, Aerith and Leon had been looked to as the unofficial leaders of their small band of survivors. Once they returned home, the pair was looked to help organise and bring everyone together to rebuild their world. 

Both had a quiet strength about them, and each was known to remain calm under the gravest of circumstances. They were both incredibly patient as well. Aerith was known for her kindness and wisdom, while Leon was known for his will and dedication. Neither failed to meet the challenges or demands that the positions they had fell into offered them.

The two friends had known each other since their childhood, and had grown increasingly close as the previously mentioned events unfolded. Each spoke more openly to the other than they did most, and both showed their emotions more easily around the other.

Now that things had calmed notably, and they were needed less, as the Heartless decreased and the reconstruction continued Aerith found her well-known patience growing thin when it came to the scarred man.

It was not that she disliked him, on the contrary, she loved him…and that was the problem. For Leon never let his own feelings known in that regard.

Finally, she decided to find out if she stood a chance with the stoic man. Aerith, ever the diplomatic one, decided to gather some information before approaching Leon. If he were interested, someone was bound to have heard some indication of it, considering the way their group of friends tented to become involved in each other's business around here. Therefore, she decided to start with his best friend…once she found him.

"Hi, Aerith," greeted Yuffie cheerfully as said woman approached her in The Bailey.

"Hello Yuffie," greeted Aerith in return. "Have you seen Zell today?"

"No, he took off early this morning to help Leon with something," stated the hyperactive ninja. "Tifa said she saw them heading towards the Crystal Fissures. I hope Sephiroth isn't hanging out by the Dark Depths again…"

"If he was, it would be Cloud going out there," said Aerith.

"Good point," conceded the ninja. "What did you need him for anyway?

"I wanted to ask him something about Leon," replied Aerith.

"Maybe I can answer it," offered Yuffie with a smile.

"Well…has Leon ever mentioned me?" asked Aerith. At the younger woman's confused expression, she decided to elaborate. "Has he said anything that indicates whether he has feelings for me or not?"

"Has feelings for _you_?" repeated the perplexed looking ninja. "Isn't Leon gay?"

Both women stared at one another for a moment.

"Excuse me?" said Aerith, "What makes you think that?"

"I don't know," answered Yuffie, "That's just what everyone thinks."

"What do you mean 'everyone'?" questioned Aerith.

"I mean everyone, hold on…Tifa!" Yuffie turned and yelled the last word.

The called upon woman had been walking down the street, but turned and joined her friends after being shouted at; She sighed and placed her hands on her hips when after approaching them. "Yes, Yuffie...?"

"Is Leon gay?" asked the ninja.

Mahogany eyes blinked, "I think so, why?"

"Why do you think that?" asked Aerith.

"Well, when was the last time any of us saw him show interest in a woman?" Tifa asked in response.

All three women stood in silence for a moment as each pondered this.

"You know, I can't recall," said Aerith.

"I don't think I've ever seen him _with_ a woman," replied Yuffie.

"Me either…and even Cloud has at least _acknowledged_ when a woman was good looking," said Tifa. "Why are you asking anyway?"

"Aerith wanted to know if he likes her, and I thought he was gay, but I figured-"

Tifa interrupted the petite ninja's explanation as she turned to Aerith. "You wanted to know if Leon…Do you have feelings for him?"

Aerith nodded, "I wanted to see if he had said anything before I approached him."

"Good idea," Tifa said with a nod, "But why Yuffie?"

"Hey! I'm Leon's friend too," stated Yuffie.

"In know," said Tifa, raising a hand to settles the hyperactive woman. "It's just that I would have asked Zell or Cloud first. If anyone would know, it would be them."

"I came to Yuffie to see if she knew where Zell was," explained Aerith.

"But he's not here and she wanted to know why, got you," replied Tifa. "Cloud isn't around either…I think he's out by the waterways. You know who else might know… Reno; he's always on top of the latest gossip. Maybe he's heard something."

"That's a good idea," agreed Yuffie.

"It is," confirmed Aerith. "Do you know where he is then?"

"He and Rude are at the Moogle shop," answered Tifa.

"Thank you," said Aerith before turning in that direction.

"Good luck!" called Yuffie as Tifa waved.

Sure enough, Aerith found the two Turks at the Moogle shop. Rude was waiting quietly beside his partner, who was arguing over price with the Moogle.

"Hi Rude," said Aerith as she moved beside him to wait for the redhead.

The bald man nodded in greeting, but said nothing.

"Tifa told me I'd find you two here," continued Aerith, knowing that the mention of his girlfriend's name tended to get the man to string together a few syllables. "I just need to ask Reno something."

"He's almost done," replied Rude. He merely turned his head towards her, but thanks to the time they had spent together due to Tifa, Aerith understood that he was offering to interrupt if it was important.

"Thanks, but I'll wait here if it's alright," Aerith said with a smile.

Once again, the man only nodded in response.

Reno joined them a moment later. "I should just wait for those Keyblade wielding kids to come back before the next order; see if they'll ask for me. At least the Moogles actually like them."

"Who doesn't?" Aerith responded.

"Yeah, I guess that's a perk of saving the worlds," replied the redhead. "Did I hear you say you needed to ask me something?"

"Yes," Aerith began hesitantly, "Have you heard…Do you know if Leon is gay?"

"That seems to be the general assumption, yeah," answered Reno.

"Why? Is there anything to support the idea?" asked Aerith.

"Have you seen Leon?" questioned Reno. "No straight men I know jut their hip out that often, or lean against a wall the way he does. Plus, when have you seen in him in anything other than leather pants or a _midriff _jacket with a _furry_ collar…and what is the point in all of the belts? Not to mention that a guy that decent ought to have had a girl on his arm at some point, but no, he hasn't…And he was way to alright with spending the weekend stuck in Ansem's computer room with that silver-haired pretty boy."

Aerith could only stare as she processed this. She could not deny anything the man had stated. In fact, when Cloud had asked her and Leon about Riku's appearance resembling Sephiroth's, Leon had joked that Cloud just wanted a reason not to acknowledge that the boy was better looking than he was.

"Thank you," Aerith said weakly before turning and running away.

She ran all the way to the community gardens she had been restoring with several of the towns people. She always felt at peace in the gardens, and was thankful that they were empty today.

Now, she fell to knees and then sat on her heels with her face in her hands as she silently cried.

A few minutes passed. Aerith had calmed and was considering working on the garden for a while when she heard footsteps approaching. She did not have to turn to know who had approached her. She was quite familiar with his presence.

Leon kneeled down beside her and gently placed an arm around her shoulders. "Aerith, What is it?"

"I had had a bit of a shock," she answered with a reserved smile. "I'll be fine."

"Is there anything I can do?" asked the grey-eyed man, as he looked at her in concern.

She could not help but laugh at the irony of that question. "No…I don't think so. I think I just need time. Maybe I'll work on the garden to take my mind off it…"

"Well, if it's a distraction you want, can I make a suggestion?" question Leon with an odd uncertainty that she had never before heard in his voice.

Aerith looked at him fully now, and he inclined his head in the direction he had come from. She turned her gaze in that direction and saw a picnic basket, which looked as though someone had dropped it quickly, although managed to remain upright. A light blanket was lying haphazardly beside it, as though it too had been dropped abruptly.

"What…?" she turned back to the scarred man.

"I made sure everyone stayed out of the garden today so I could ask you to come here with me," explained Leon. "This isn't exactly how I planned to do this, but, would you care to join me?"

Aerith was shocked speechless for a moment, so she simply nodded, wondering if he meant it as it appeared and doubting that he did, after all she heard that afternoon.

The scarred quietly stood, retrieved the previously disregarded items and return to Aerith's side.

"I also have something for you," Leon stated with a hint of that same unusual tone, as he pulled something wrapped in a bandana out of his pocket and handed it to her.

She unwrapped the small item to find a piece of crystal about the size of her little finger, clearly from the fissure he and Zell had gone to that morning, with a fine piece of leather cord tied around it, making a simple but beautiful necklace.

Aerith looked up from the gift to Leon, "Why…?"

"I thought it was time I let you know that I care," responded the scarred man.

"You…" Aerith blinked, "You're not gay?"

Grey eyes blinked in the same confusion that she just had. "No…I'm not gay. I wouldn't be trying to ask you out now if I was."

Aerith smiled, "Good."

Leon, although still looking slightly confused, wore a light smile as well, "Good."

Aerith eyes flicked to the dishevelled blanket and basket, "Shall we check the damage?"

The confusion left Leon's eyes as he reached for the basket.


	39. Departure

_Prompt: Departure_

_Given by: Kryal_

_Setting: The World That Never Was, KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

His black coat and fire-red hair flowed out behind Axel as he paced down the dark streets.

Roxas had not gone back to the darkness; he had gone back into Sora, just as that silver-haired kid had thought.

Which meant, if Axel could get to Sora, he might be able to awaken Roxas…there was still a chance to get his friend back.

However, the Organization did not care about getting Roxas back…they did not care about anything. Nobodies were not supposed to care…they were not supposed to feel anything at all…

So then why did he miss Roxas?

Perhaps the Organization was wrong. Maybe that was why they seemed doomed to failure. Over half of the Organization was already destroyed, several by his doing, if not by his hand. Most that remained seemed to have lost sight of why they were doing this, in Axel's opinion anyway.

What was the point in having a heart if getting it meant turning on the first person who made him feel as if he already did?

The fiery Nobody decided that a departure from his present course was due. Without looking back, he opened a passage that would set a new one and stepped through.

Turning his back on the Organization might be a death sentence, but if he could bring Roxas back to the surface, then it would be worth it.


	40. Luck

_Prompt: Luck_

_Given by: Summing up the Stars_

_Setting: The World That Never Was, Post-KHII_

_Pairings: None; Hinted Sora/Kairi and Leon/Riku_

* * *

Sora dodged another attack as the Shadows and Neo Shadows kept coming. He and Riku had been at this for what felt like hours now, and the Heartless showed no signs of dwindling.

The spiky-haired brunette realised that he and his silver-haired friend had been pushed to opposites sides of the square by the seemingly unlimited supply of enemies.

A quick glance suggested that the other teen, while surrounded just as Sora, was holding his own, in fact, he looked like he was quite used to this.

Sora reacted just in time as a Neo Shadow took advantage of the few seconds he tried to focus on his friend. The blue-eyed boy spun and struck it with Oathkeeper just before it was about to strike.

Sora chained together endless attacks as the enemies kept moving in, every now and then he would cast a Thundaga spell or one of Riku's Dark Aura spell's would strike a Heartless near him, and once a strange heart of light appeared on the ground surrounding him, destroying the Shadows within it. Occasionally Sora would hear Riku call out his name just before a green healing light washed over him.

Even with all of this assistance and skill, Sora thought he should have taken more damage than he had, if only due to the sheer number of enemies, or the brutality of the Neo Shadows. However, it seemed as if the heartless kept just missing him or as though he moved just the way he needed to, as if guided by an unseen hand.

Just as Sora was feeling exhaustion start to creep over him, and he knew he would not be able to go on for much longer, he also noticed the number of Heartless dwindling. It seemed that their numbers had finally stopped growing.

While Sora's strength finally gave out, the last few Shadows near him lunged, but collided with a Dark Shield as Riku jumped between them. Way to Dawn took out all three in one sweep before Riku moved to take out the last remained Heartless scattered about the square.

Sora looked down at Oathkeeper, and more importantly, the keychain dangling off it. He smiled as he made to mental note to tell Kairi that her lucky charm worked perfectly.

As Riku headed back toward Sora with a slight limp, the brunette noticed something gleaming on his chest, and realised that a pendant of some sort had fallen from underneath his shirt.

Then he recognised the shape of a lion as Riku asked him if he was all right.

Sora briefly wondered why Riku was wearing the Griever pendant, before the image of several fleeting glances between teal and steel grey as well as a number of brief nods and silent communications, passed through his mind's eye.

Sora smiled at the other teen when he realised they had been sent with the luck of their loved ones to protect them.


	41. Rainbow

_Prompt: Rainbow_

_Given by: Summing up the Stars_

_Setting: Radiant Garden, Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Rude/Tifa; Hints at Pre-Cloud/Riku and possible Pre-Leon/Riku _

* * *

Sora watched as a rainbow of spheres danced across a field of green before several disappeared down into their little burrows.

"Do you know how to play?" asked a kind voice behind him.

"Huh?" Sora turned to see Tifa and Rude sitting together at one of the tavern's small tables, with a couple of drinks and a plate of appetizers before them. Tifa had closed her business that day for cleaning, which was why she had permitted the two teens to enter when they arrived shortly before.

Tifa indicated the colourful balls that were once again rolling over the green felt tabletop. "Pool; have you ever played it before?"

"Oh…nope, I don't know if we have that back home," replied the spiky-haired boy. "We mostly have outdoor games."

"Ah, that makes sense," replied the mahogany-eyed woman. "Do you want to learn how to play? I'm sure some of the guys wouldn't mind teaching you."

The blue-eyed boy watched Reno taunt Cloud as he rubbed the end of a long stick with chalk. "Sounds good…This isn't another betting game, is it?"

"Not necessarily, sometimes we make bets on who will make or blow a shot, but that's about it," replied Tifa before raising her voice slightly. "Cloud; Sora wants to learn to play. Are you guys almost ready for a new game?"

"Sure, I'm about done kicking his ass," Reno called back.

Cloud glared at the redhead before waving Sora over.

The teen complied. "You guys don't have to stop your game because of me. I can wait until you're done."

"Naw, Cloud could use the focal point anyway," answered Reno. "He hasn't been able to concentrate since your pretty little friend walked in."

"Oh," replied Sora with a brief chuckle. "Sorry about that. Riku had to talk to Leon and Cid about the town's computer program."

"That's cool," answered the redhead, as he waved off the apology.

"Is it running alright, or has he found another error?" asked Cloud, taking a not-so-inconspicuous glance at the silver-haired teen, whom was standing across the room, taking to Cid as the two watched Leon and Zell set up a game of pool at one of the other tables.

"I think he figured out a way to improve something while he was working on his pet project," answered Sora. "I'm not sure what; I don't understand most of the stuff he tells me about computers and programs."

"Yeah, I don't understand what Leon is complaining about half of the time when he's been at the computer all day," replied Cloud.

Sora chuckled as Reno gathered all of the brightly coloured balls and placed them methodically into a triangle shaped holder in the centre of the table. Then Cloud tapped his shoulder and handed him one of the long, tapering sticks they had been using.

"This is a cue," stated Cloud as Sora took the proffered item. "You use it to strike the cue ball, that's the white ball on the table there, and in turn, that ball hit's the other balls, sending them into the pockets you call."

"Call?" repeated Sora questioningly.

"You call out the shots you're aiming for first," explained Cloud. At the boy's blank expression, he elaborated. "If you want to put the six in the corner pocket, you say that first, and then try to make the shot."

"The six?" asked Sora.

"The ball with the six on it," answered Reno with a grin as he pointed to said ball.

"Oh," Sora rubbed the back of his neck embarrassedly. "I guess that was kind of obvious."

"Don't worry, we won't tell anybody," Reno stated as he glanced across the room. "Although I'm sure Cid will let us know if 'Jailbait' asks anything that obvious."

Cloud and Sora turned their eyes across the room as well. Cid and Riku appeared to be joining Leon and Zell's game, although all four seemed to be continuing their computer discussion as well. Every now and then, one of the men would indicate something on the table to the teenager, who was listening quietly.

The former SOLDIER gave the Turk a small warning look before saying, "Do not start calling him that too."

"Relax," said Reno with a smirk. "I was having a go old Cid there; Gees, didn't think you'd take it so personally."

"So Cid calls Riku 'Jailbait' to bait _you_?" asked Sora.

Cloud grunted irritably as Reno grinned and nodded behind him.

"I take it, it works?" said the blue-eyed boy with a grin.

"Like a charm, yo," replied Reno as Cloud gave another irritable grunt.

"So, that's the rack," said Reno, indicating the triangle shaped holder Sora had noticed earlier. "You use that to set up the balls in the order I put 'em, so you might want to pay attention."

Sore took note of the order the redhead had placed the balls before nodding. He doubted he would remember them perfectly, but he doubted he would be playing without a few of the people present here anytime soon anyway.

Once Sora nodded, Cloud removed the rack carefully, so as not to disturb the balls. "The object is to be the first to acquire 100 points. You gain one point for every ball you pocket, assuming you call it correctly and don't foul."

"The break shot is tricky, because you have to call it too," the blonde continued.

"Break shot?" questioned Sora.

"Has Leonhart pointed out that you sound like a parrot when you're being taught something?" asked Reno.

Sora gave the man a glare, but it had very little effect compared to the ones he was used to receiving.

"The shot used to break the arrangement the balls are in now is the break shot," explained Cloud. "We'll let Reno do that, since he's surprisingly good at this game."

"Hey! Why is it surprising that I'm good?" asked Reno.

"Because you can't cheat or bluff like you can with cards," answered Cloud flatly.

Reno accepted this with a small smirk before breaking. As Cloud and Reno took the first shots and showed Sora how to try to aim the balls in using different techniques, the spiky-haired teen was surprised at how good both were at this game.

Cloud seemed to excel at the card games mainly because he had the best poker face…after Cid and Leon, of course. Reno seemed to use a mix of tricks, including but not limited to cheating. However, in this game, while occasionally taunting or trying to distract the other, they actually seemed to work off skill alone.

Another thing Sora noticed, as each man stood on either side of him, giving him tips and explaining different methods, was how well the two actually got along. He had always suspected a slight animosity between them, but now he noticed that, while they certainly did not agree on many of the finer points, they work well as a unit and Reno's humour and casual demeanour complimented Cloud's brooding and self-deprecating attitude.

The boy was actually enjoying himself very much as he listed to Reno's account of an incident that occurred before the Heartless attacked, with Cloud throwing in his own commentary from time to time.

Cloud glanced across the room at Riku periodically, and Reno stopped sporadically to say something to Rude, who seemed to be trying to ignore him without any success, as he attempted to hold a private conversation with Tifa.

Sora was beginning to get a feel for the game, and had finally decided to try one of the slightly trickier shots, when he heard a small sound that was very similar to a growl. He looked over and saw Cloud looking across the room again, this time with an angry stare. Following the blonde man's fierce look, Sora could not help but gape.

Leon was showing Riku how to make a difficult shot; however, instead of standing beside the boy as Cloud and Reno had done with Sora, the scarred man was standing directly behind Riku, bending his body along with the teenager's slighter form. The brunette's chin was over Riku's shoulder as Leon spoke into the silver-haired boy's ear, with his arms around the teen's shoulders as he readjusted the boy's smaller hands on the cue.

With the unconcerned manner in which he was speaking to Riku and watching the balls on the table, Leon may have been unaware of the glare Cloud was fixing on him, as well as Zell's raised eyebrows, Tifa's open-mouthed stare, and Reno's smirk. However, Sora had a feeling the grey-eyed man was simply ignoring all of this.

Riku began to shift his head, as if he sensed all the eyes on him and was about to look over, but Leon said something then, and the boy's teal eyes remained on the table before him.

Then, the brunette loosened his grip, allowing Riku to make the shot himself, although not backing away as he watched the boy strike.

Cid looked slightly impressed, Leon smirked, and Riku wore a small grin as four balls rolled into pockets, apparently as Riku had called. The teal-eyed boy turned his head and said something to Leon, seemingly unfazed by how close their faces suddenly were.

Sora was surprised at first, but then he became glad to see his friend feeling more comfortable around a few of their other friends. Thus far, the boy's only true confidants had been King Mickey and Sora himself. Sora had hoped that all their time spent on Radiant Gardens might allow his best friend to forge a few more bonds, and it seemed that all the time was starting to pay off.

Cloud on the other hand, did not look very pleased at the new closeness developing between the two across the room. Sora had a feeling he and Riku were not going to see much of either Cloud or Leon that evening.

Across the room, Leon stepped away from Riku, they joined Cid by the wall, and all three appeared to continue talking about something as Zell made his shot. Tifa and Rude had already turned their attention back to each other.

Leon looked over and steel coloured eyes met Mako blue for a moment of silent communication before both men returned their attention to their respective games.

Sora released a breath he had not been aware he was holding, and his smile returned as Cloud and Reno got into a light debate over the best way for Sora to make his next shot.

The spiky-haired boy knew that his two friends would work through any disagreements they had, just as he and Riku had gotten through their own trials and come through the other side with an even stronger friendship and a higher level of understanding for the other.


	42. Humidity

_Prompt: Humidity_

_Given by: Summing up the Stars_

_Setting: Port Royal, Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

"_Fifty men lost at sea; all of them drunk except for me; 'twas only I who faced the storm, with noting in sight to keep me warm… Yo ho, ho-ho, over the winding sea we go. Yo ho, ho-ho; wherever the four winds blow!_"

"Sora, shut up!" Kairi called as she wiped her sweaty hair from her face with a grimace.

"Try tying it back," said Riku as he offered the girl a strip of cloth. His own hair was tied into a low ponytail, although his long bangs still covered most of his face.

"Why are we sweating like pigs?" questioned Kairi as she tied her hair into a high ponytail. "It's warm on the islands…but, everything still isn't all wet all the time."

"It's the humidity," commented the silver-haired boy. "You should have seen this jungle I came across while Sora was sleeping."

"If it's worse than this, remind me never to go there," commented the blue-eyed girl.

"Fine, remember never to go there," replied Riku flatly.

"Ha-ha… Where did you two learn to sail a ship this size anyway?" questioned the auburn-haired girl.

"No idea; we just…know," answered Riku, "Maybe it's a Keyblade wielder thing."

"Makes sense," replied Kairi. "By the way, do you know where we're going?"

The silver-haired teen shook his head. "We're following that weird compass Sora borrowed from Captain Sparrow."

"I thought it was broken," Kairi stated in a questioning tone.

"It doesn't point north, if that's what you mean," replied Riku with a smirk.

Kairi deadpanned, "Sora's planning something, isn't he?"

Teal eyes flicked to the spiky-haired teen at the helm before turning back to the sea that nearly matched their colour. "You could say that."

The auburn-haired girl released a whiny groan. "We're going to get attacked by some sort of monster, aren't we?"

"Probably several," was the unconcerned reply as Riku adjusted the rudder.

The girl released a defeated sigh. "I'm going below deck to practice my healing and protection spells."

"You could just stay with the ship," suggested the silver-haired boy.

"Yeah, and I'll probably get kidnapped…_again_," commented Kairi.

"True...but we always get you back."

"_Yo ho, Yo ho, a pirate's life for me-_"

"Sora, shut up!" Kairi yelled as she headed below deck.


	43. Silence

_Prompt: Silence_

_Given by: Tasogare no Raikou_

_Setting: Radiant Garden, Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Sora used to believe there were just quiet people and loquacious people.

He fell into the latter category, of course, as did Kairi, and many of his friends on Destiny Islands.

However, his opinion on the matter changed after he spent a fair amount of time on Radiant Garden with several of his oddly muted friends. He noticed that each had their own type of silence.

Leon was reticent. He would talk, but always seemed to end his speech just short of a true conversation, and never gave away any more detail than was necessary. The man was certainly kind and cared for his friends, but he seemed to prefer to keep people at a fair distance, from an emotional standpoint anyway.

Riku was introverted. Ever since their experiences with Kingdom Hearts, the silver-haired boy seemed to have taken refuge in some deep crevice of his mind or heart. He spoke to the others, but his voice was more subdued than it once was, and he tended to keep most of his experiences and thoughts to himself.

Cloud was aloof. He did not become involved in the events of their world as Leon and the others did. The former SOLDIER clearly did not like being alone, and yet he always kept himself apart from his friends. He tended to brood, and the brief statements he used to answer any query asked always left more questions.

Aerith was serene. She possessed a quiet strength and calmness that none of the others seemed to have. Even though she spoke more than some of the others tended to, her voice was soft and undemanding. She seemed to observe the people around her more than anything else, and only included herself when needed.

Rude was taciturn. It seemed as though the large bald man was simply habitually quiet, often leaving the talking to his partner, Reno, or his girlfriend Tifa. When the man did speak, it was usually brief and to the point. Even his mannerisms were very reserved, preventing most non-verbal communication from getting through.

It was just another thing to prove to the spiky-haired teen that nothing was simply black or white, and there was more than one side to everything.


	44. Pulse

_Prompt: Pulse_

_Given by: Tasogare no Raikou_

_Setting: Radiant Garden, Post-KHII_

_Pairings: None _

* * *

Leon was taking a small break, leaning against the wall in the Bailey, and looking out toward the Maw when he saw a bright flash that appeared to consist of both silver and gold light, and heard a deafening crack, as though a thousand thunderbolts struck the ground at once.

The scarred man grabbed his Gunblade and ran toward the site of the strange disturbance immediately. His first though was that it must be Cloud and Sephiroth fighting again, although he had no idea what they could have done to cause that.

He heard footsteps running to join him from the left, and nearly stumbled when he recognised the shorter man, "Cloud?"

Both men continued running, weapons drawn, as Cloud asked, "Any idea what that was?"

"No," Leon answered, now even more confused by the strange commotion.

They remained quiet as they swiped their swords at a few heartless that attacked them, never slowing their pace or altering their course.

Finally, they emerged on the other side of the Crystal Fissure, and had to stop in their tracks to avoid falling.

Where there used to be a cliff face, there was now debris and a rather large crater. Some of the pieces of stone and earth still seemed to hold an odd glow of either bright gold or eerie silver light.

Both men started to move again when they noticed that laying on either side of the crater, as though they had been in the centre and thrown in opposite directions by the blast, were Sephiroth and Riku…both appeared to be unconscious or worse.

"I'll take Sephiroth," called Cloud as he began a careful although hurried decent down the remaining cliff wall. Leon made a sound of acknowledgment before heading down in Riku's direction.

Through the corner of his eye, Leon saw Cloud approached Sephiroth and kick him over, before aiming his sword at the man's throat as he checked to see if he was alive or not.

Leon reached the limp teenager and turned him much more gently than Cloud had done with the other unconscious male. Blood ran down from the boy's hairline, and one of his arms were at a bad angle, he made no sound or movement as Leon crouched over him, checking the wrist on the corporately uninjured arm.

Cloud called from the other side of the crater, "This one's alive…Unfortunately…"

It sounded as if the former SOLDIER was deciding whether he should try to rectify that or not, when Leon heard the blonde turn to face his direction…probably having realised that the brunette had not replied yet.

Leon moved his hand from the boy's wrist to his slender throat, unwilling to believe the lack of findings on the pale wrist.

He released a relieved breath when he felt a weak pulse. Then he offered a nod to Cloud as he lifted the boy carefully. "I'm taking him to Aerith."

Cloud shook his head slowly as he looked over the battleground, "Damn, kid." He then looked between Sephiroth and Leon a few times.

"Leave him," Leon called over his shoulder as he left with the silver-haired teen. "You'll have your turn soon enough."

"Yeah…"Cloud turned and followed the scarred man, "Besides, I would really like to hear how this happened."

"So would I," replied Leon. "Then I'll know whether I need to kill this kid or not…"


	45. Flicker

_Prompt: Flicker_

_Given by: Tasogare no Raikou_

_Setting: Radiant Garden_

_Pairing: (Possibly) One-sided Leon/Riku _

* * *

The silver-haired teen turned his head away from the computer monitor for a moment. He preferred to work on Ansem's old computer, but he had taken over this project from Cid not long before and so, was stuck working on the Gummi pilot's customised one.

With his head turned, Riku could see Cid and Leon looking over some blueprints on the table in the centre of the room. Cid was lighting yet another cigarette as Leon ran a hand through his hair in frustration. Whatever they were working on was certainly giving them trouble.

Leon pointed to something on the blueprint as he mumbled something Riku could not make out from where he sat. The boy found his attention focusing solely on the steely-eyed man as said eyes continued to study the plans in front of him.

Riku truly admired the scarred man. Leon never allowed his self-imposed guilt and feelings of failure to hinder him. Instead, he used those emotions to fuel his determination to restore his home world and help his friends.

The silver-haired boy hoped that he could be like that. That he could learn from his past, but not be burdened by it for the rest of his life…and that he could inspire others as Leon inspired him.

The sable-haired man did not brood over his misdeeds as Cloud did, nor did he simply shrug off his past mistakes as Sora did. He accepted and learned from his past and then used that wisdom to lead the people around him to a better future.

Leon, while stoic and reticent, was surprising passionate about the things and people he truly cared for. It was as if there was a small flame flickering in the man, which refused to be extinguished.

Riku found himself wondering if he would ever become one of the people the steel-eyed man was so passionate about...and just what it would take to turn that flicker into a full blaze.

The teal-eyed boy paused as these thoughts sunk in. He quickly turned his face back to the monitor before the man he was thinking of could notice the blush that he knew was gracing his features.

He had known he respected and liked Leon…the man had actually become one of the few people he felt truly comfortable with after his experiences with Kingdom Hearts. However, Riku had not realised just _how_ much he liked the man until now.

The boy swallowed as he tried to throw his focus into the task he was currently undertaking. Leon was only close to a few people, he was intelligent, strong, handsome, and ten years Riku's senior. The boy was smart, and he had learned from his past as well…he knew better than to act on these feelings. He could keep them to himself.

…And he would.


	46. Birthday

_Prompt: Birthday_

_Given by: LunaLocket_

_Setting: Radiant Garden, Post-KHII_

_Pairing: (Possibly) One-sided Leon/Riku_

* * *

Leon woke up early, as usual, and got out of bed quickly afterwards. He noticed that the calendar by his bed said it was August twenty-third…his birthday.

Not that it was ever celebrated. The scarred man had somehow managed to never tell any of his friends when his actual birthday was. Most of them seemed to assume that he did not know the exact date, as he had been orphaned before befriending them. He never bothered to correct this assumption.

As he pulled on his shirt, Leon heard a sound from the kitchen and paused. Cloud would sleep until noon if left to his own devices. They had allowed the two young Keybearers to stay with them during their visit, but Sora seemed to be even lazier than Cloud…, which meant either they had a very stupid burglar in the house, or Riku was also an early riser.

Leon's senses were assaulted rather pleasantly as he entered the sitting room and looked into the kitchen through the bar that connected the two rooms.

His sense of smell picked up blueberries, ricotta and cream cheese, powdered sugar, and freshly made crepes as his eyes fell upon long silky, silver hair and narrow hips that were each swaying to the music coming from the radio, which Leon was pleased to notice had been set on his favourite station. He could hear one of his recent favourite songs playing as a rather pleasant voice sang along softly.

Leon quietly made his way over and sat on one of the barstools, vaguely wondering what the odds were that the boy happened to make his favourite breakfast on his birthday. Then the silver-haired teen turned and laid a plate of blueberry blintzes before him, with a small smile on his face, and a single silver birthday candle in the centre of the nicely garnished dish.

"Happy birthday," Riku said calmly before turning back to the counter.

...Or at least he tried to, but Leon had reached out and grabbed one of the boy's arms before he could make it very far. Leon wondered if it was a sign that they had spent too much time around one another when he noticed the slight look of trepidation flash in the boy's eyes before they calmed again.

After several seconds passed, Leon realised that he would have to ask for an explanation if he wanted to hear one.

"How did you know?"

"I'm guessing you're not asking how I knew your favourite breakfast?" questioned the teen, that slight look of nervousness returning to his eyes.

"No, I know how you observant you are," replied Leon, although he was surprised that the boy had noted and remembered such a small and personal detail.

The boy released a soft breath, "I think it would be easier if I just showed you."

Leon blinked and willed his mind to remain void of any inappropriate thoughts. That answer sounded as though it belonged with another question. They stared at one another, both with completely blank features, for several more seconds.

This time, Riku broke the silence. "Do you want to come to the computer room with me after breakfast?"

Leon blinked again. He wondered how he always managed to feel as though he had missed something when he was around the teal-eyed boy. "What?"

"So I can show you the project I've been working on," explain the teen. "I'm not quite finished, but you'll get the idea. I think you'll like it…if you want to, of course…"

Leon actually smirked as he released the boy's arm. _Everyone _had been wondering what the boy had been up to in the computer room, ever since he won all that free time there during their weekly game nights.

"I definitely do," replied the grey-eyed man before taking a bite out of his blintzes. He froze for a moment afterwards.

"Er…you okay?" asked Riku with a slightly concerned expression.

"These are better than Aerith's…where did you learn how to cook?" questioned the scarred man.

The boy shrugged. "Here and there…I tend to pay attention to what people are doing around me. I saw Sora's mom make strawberry blintzes for her and Mr. Hiruma's anniversary once, so it wasn't too difficult to switch to blueberry…you do prefer blueberry, right?"

Leon nodded before returning to his breakfast.

Nearly half an hour later found the two in Ansem's old computer room. Riku expertly worked the computer, not even requiring Tron's assistance as he located and opened the program he had been developing.

"Ready? This can be a little disorientating the first time," warned Riku as he tilted his head toward the device that Leon had once seen turn Sora, Donald, and Goofy into data before literally drawing them into a computer program.

Leon eyed the piece of machinery for a moment. He was wary about entering into a program, but he trusted that Riku knew what he was doing or he would not have asked Leon to accompany him.

Leon turned to the boy and nodded, before the teen's fingers aptly punched in a few keystrokes and Leon felt an odd, tingling sensation over his body before everything returned to normal.

The grey-eyed man glanced around before returning his attention to Riku. "What went wrong?"

"Nothing…it worked just fine," answered the teen composedly.

"Then why aren't we in the program?" questioned Leon.

"We are," replied Riku with a confused expression.

Leon looked around the room more carefully this time. Everything looked the same, except…it looked newer.

"This isn't the way Sora described it," he commented.

"That's because Sora entered a different program," stated Riku. The boy paused for a moment as if deciding how to phrase his next statement before taking a breath. "When I realised I could still travel through the worlds, I returned to Twilight Town and erased the digital copy that DiZ…I mean, Ansem the Wise, and I made."

That got Leon's attention. "Why?"

"Maleficent has control over the World That Never Was. I didn't want her to be able to utilise the connection we made between the worlds, or have access to the digital copies of all those people's hearts."

Leon stared at the boy for a moment. He was rarely impressed, but this kid seemed able to impress him constantly. "That was a very wise thing to do."

The boy shrugged nervously, "I guess…"

"I take it there's more?" questioned Leon after taking in the silver-haired teen's reaction.

"I couldn't…" Riku paused and looked away for a moment. "Here, let me just show you."

The teal-eyed boy waited until Leon nodded before turning and leading the man into Ansem's old Study. Leon stopped in his tracks and his jaw nearly hit the ground when they entered.

The room looked far neater and more impressive than it did in the real world, but that was not what caught his attention. What had done that was the fact that Ansem the Wise was sitting at his desk, reading a book and taking notes.

The old sage looked up when they entered and inclined his head in greeting. Riku returned the gesture, but Leon was still too shocked to react.

"I think Squall requires an explanation, Riku," stated Ansem in his commanding, yet surprisingly gentle voice.

Leon and Riku turned to each other at the same time. "How…?" Leon glanced at the sage before returning his attention to the boy.

Riku pulled a thin, metal, rectangular stick from his pocket. It was less than an inch wide and only a couple inches long. He swallowed before speaking. "I couldn't destroy the digital copy of DiZ…_him_," he tilted his head toward Ansem.

The boy took another breath, "So I downloaded him onto this memory drive before I wiped out the virtual town. I built a virtual duplicate of this entire building, using the information from his computer and what all of you told Sora and I about the town from before the Heartless. I uploaded DiZ into it and altered him to take on his true form. Then, I learned more about the town from the digital copies of his memories and Tron's database and decided to try making a duplicate of the entire town as it once was. I thought maybe we could use it as guide for some of the restoration."

Leon stared for a moment, and then blinked. "You built a virtual copy of an entire town that you never actually saw with your own eyes, by yourself, in less than a week?" The sable-haired man chuckled. "I knew you good, kid, but I had no idea you were _this _good."

Riku met Leon's eyes and seemed to search them for a moment. "You aren't mad?"

Leon took on as close to a perplexed expression as he seemed capable of, "Why would I be mad?"

"I don't know…I just…" Riku shrugged again, before offering a small smile.

Leon grinned slightly in return. "Riku, this is amazing. Can we walk around, or…?"

"Oh, yeah," Riku answered, seeming much less nervous now. "I have the entire town done until you reach the end of the valley…or maw, as it is now."

Leon's grin brightened a little, "You made the valley?" The grin faltered, "What about…"

"Don't worry," Riku assured the grey-eyed man. "I didn't duplicate any of the people. It just didn't seem right to…"

Leon's rare grin had returned. "So this is how you knew when my birthday is? You found it in the files while you were researching all of this?"

The teen nodded, "Mm-Hm…I'm sorry; I wasn't trying to-"

"Its fine, Riku," Leon looked at the further door. "So, care to take a tour? I think I can tell you a few things you haven't learned yet."

The silver-haired boy nodded, "Yeah, I bet you can."

Leon spent most of the day walking around the virtual town with Riku. He was amazed at the level of detail the boy had achieved…everything was almost exactly as he remembered it.

He offered to assist Riku in the completion of the town, and agreed that it would make a very good reference tool for some of the workers who did not seem to recall how the world had looked before…or who needed a visual aid to achieve the desired results.

When they returned home in the early evening, Leon discovered that Riku had also purchased and prepped everything to make his favourite dinner.

Sora and Cloud joined them, and were surprised that he had actually spent the entire day away.

"When Riku said we might not see much of you today, we figured you were gonna work on something out in the Depths or on the computer all day," commented Sora.

"Where were you anyway?" asked Cloud.

"Riku wanted to show me something for my birthday," replied Leon before taking another bite of his dinner.

Both spiky-haired males stopped eating and stared at the scarred man.

"I didn't know today was your birthday," said Sora, giving Cloud an accusing look.

"I didn't either," stated the blonde man, "No one does…Leon, why haven't you ever said something?"

"I never wanted it to be acknowledged," answered the brunette simply. "I didn't think there was anything special about it."

"So why did you decide to tell us now?" questioned his old friend.

"I decided birthdays aren't so bad after all," replied Leon with a small grin before returning to his dinner.

"Riku, you okay? You're face is kind of red," commented Sora.

"I'm fine," murmured the teal-eyed boy, "Something just got caught in my throat…"

No one noticed Leon's grin turn into a smirk as he continued eating.

Leon suspected he would actually look forward to his birthday the next year.


	47. Comedy

_Prompt: Comedy_

_Given by: LunaLocket_

_Setting: Destiny Islands, Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Sora/Penelo_

* * *

"…So then, I ended up having to summon the Keyblade to fight _bees_, and Tigger, Eeyore, Rabbit, and Piglet were running around like Selphie during that hurricane warning when we were ten," Sora was barely able to talk and walk at the same time with how hard he began chuckling. 

"Well I guess…" Penelo wiped a tear from her eyes as she tried to contain her own giggles, "I guess you can't expect too much from a bunch of stuffed animals…I mean, they did think that Pooh's amnesia was caused by his tummy rumbling."

"Yeah," Sora wiped his own mirth-filled tears away as he glanced down at their intertwined hands.

So far, his first big date had gone much better than he expected. In the stories he read, people were always nervous or awkward…or everything just seemed to go wrong, but the evening had been great.

Sora found that taking Penelo out on a date was not all that much different from hanging out with her. He could still talk and joke around the same, but there were some very nice differences. Between talking, laughing, and playing several games at the party, they snuck in a few kisses, discovered the simple pleasure of holding hands or cuddling on the sofa, and Sora realised that having a date also meant having a willing dancer partner.

"I'm glad you started talking about these parts of your adventures," commented Penelo as she gazed up at the stars.

"Really? How come?" asked Sora as he glanced at the blonde.

"Well, I already knew you were really brave and that you saved everything, but it's nice to hear that you had some fun too…it's good to know that you're still our Sora," answered the girl with a smile.

"I had a lot of fun, and I made all kinds of friends, actually, I don't think I really realised what I was doing for most of it," Sora looked over and saw Penelo watching him with an interested expression, even with her smile still in place.

"I could definitely see you making friends all over the galaxy," commented the blonde.

"Did I tell you about what happened in Atlantica?" asked Sora with a grin.

Penelo giggled, "You mean about getting caught in the seaweed when you were trying to use your new fin?"

Sora chuckled, "That was just the first trip. After Riku and Naminè woke me up and got all my memories back in place, I went back there…and me, Donald, and Goofy ended up participating in a musical pageant."

The blue-eyed girl broke into a full on laugh, "You mean you guys actually had to sing and dance underwater _and _in front of people? Oh, I wish I could have seen that…"

"Oh no…" said Sora with a smile, "The part you would have loved, was when I completely spaced out about the idea of meeting Santa Clause and totally forgot about the Heartless."

"I could see you doing that," said Penelo with a grin and a nod.

"…And forget about me trying to figure out how to walk and use the Keyblade as a lion cub," commented Sora, still grinning. "That probably looked ridiculous."

"You used the Keyblade? Couldn't you have just used your claws?" asked the blonde.

"Probably, but I didn't think of it at the time," admitted Sora as a slight blush spread across his face.

Penelo smiled and leaned over to kiss one of his scarlet cheeks. "Don't be embarrassed; that's just part of your charm."

Sora smiled and wrapped an arm around the blonde's shoulders as they continued walking. "Maybe I won't mention that part to the guys though…"

"Definitely a good idea," agreed Penelo. "Of course, you know I'm going to have to tease you about it a little when it's just us, right?"

"I know," Sora relied with a smile as he gave the girl's shoulders a small squeeze. "That's just part of your charm."

Penelo laughed and gave him a playful slap on the chest before wrapping an arm around his waist as the two teens continued walking home and laughing about some of the more comedic parts of Sora's adventures.


	48. Riku

_Prompt: Riku_

_Given by: LunaLocket_

_Setting: Radiant Garden, Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Pre-Leon/Riku _

* * *

Leon stared at the page in front of him, re-reading the words he had written for the third time. He still could not believe he was doing this, but if he had to do it, then he was going to do it right.

The sable-haired man handed the letter and the appropriate amount of Munny to one of Scrooge's nephews, whom had started a delivery service now that the town was beginning to fill out. After that, he headed to the Postern to see how the reconstruction of a new wall was coming along.

"Hey," said Zack as the scarred man approached. "You know that hiding over here isn't going to get you out of doing it."

"I'm not hiding, I'm overseeing, and I already did it," commented Leon sternly.

Violet eyes widened in surprise. "You did? When? What did he say?"

"Yes, this morning, and I don't know yet," replied Leon flatly.

"Wait…if you told him this morning, then how can you not know what he said?" questioned the former SOLDIER.

"I sent him a letter."

Zack snorted as he stifled a laugh. "You wrote the kid a love letter?"

Steel coloured eyes glared at the laughing man, "Not quite."

The black-haired man was no longer attempting to hide his amusement. "Oh, please tell me you went on about his brilliant eyes and gossamer hair… I could just imagine you as this closet poet…"

"I did not write a poem, and I did not 'go on' about his looks," interrupted Leon firmly. "I just wanted to make sure I expressed everything exactly the way I wanted to."

"I think the kid would have stayed quiet for you," commented Zack. "He has a pretty impressive attention span…"

"If you say, 'for someone so young' I am going to bury you in this wall," interrupted Leon.

"Considering what I made you do, I don't think I have much longer to live anyway," joked the violet-eyed man.

"I agree, and while we're on the subject, I met my end of the agreement and I expect you do come through with yours," stated Leon.

"Of course," said Zack. "You know we only did it to help you. It's not like you would have ever done something about it on your own."

"I still don't see why Aerith came to you about it," muttered the sable-haired man.

"Because I'm the only one who would have blackmailed you into action, and she knew it would be for your own good," replied Zack.

Leon glared as they returned to work. He would definitely be making them pay for this later.

Later that day, Leon had started to grow irritable, and most of the workers were giving him a wide birth. Only Zack and Aerith suspected what was troubling the reserved man.

"He hasn't spoken to you yet, has he?" asked Aerith as she brought Leon and Zack some lunch.

"No," commented the grey-eyed man. "He definitely has received it by now."

"Maybe he was too busy to actually read it when it was delivered," suggested the kind woman.

"…Or maybe him not saying anything is an answer in itself," commented Leon.

"…Or perhaps he could not get away to see you," added Aerith as if she had not been interrupted. "He hasn't had lunch yet either. Actually, I'm supposed to meet Tifa and Yuffie, so can bring these to him and Cid? Tell them I said they have to stop and eat."

With those words, the green-eyed woman shoved a couple of lunch sacks from her basket into Leon's hands before walking away.

Glaring at nothing and everything, Leon made his way to the computer room.

First, he found Cid muttering obscenities as he looked over some printouts and schematics in Ansem's old study.

"Having trouble?" asked Leon as he set one of the lunch sacks on the table in front of the Gummi pilot.

"These don't line up for some reason," grumbled Cid.

"Well, Aerith has sent me with strict instructions to make sure you two stop and eat," stated Leon with a glance toward the hall that led to the computer room, "So take that and go get some air."

"Fine," muttered Cid as he grabbed the sack and a pack of cigarettes from the table. "I think I might have made Jailbait nervous earlier. Make sure he knows that wasn't directed at him, would ya?"

Leon's brows furrowed. "I will, but try not to go off on him. The kid's doing a lot around here and he doesn't have to."

"I know that," said Cid as he headed toward to door. "I'm the one he's helping eight out of ten times…" With a wave over his shoulder, the blonde man disappeared into the hall.

Leon paused when he realised that he was about to be alone with Riku after the boy had probably just become aware of his feelings for him. However, no one could ever call Leon a coward…he took a deep breath and headed toward the computer room.

Riku was standing in front of the computer, typing away as he stared at the multitude of data that passed across the screen at a sickening pace for anyone else, but the boy seemed used to it. Leon suspected it had to do with the training he spent under Ansem the Wise while he was trying to save Sora.

"Riku," Leon said the name much more gently than he intended. He cleared his throat in irritation.

The boy started and turned, but relaxed when he saw Leon. "Hi Leon, sorry about that; I was kind of focused…" He turned back to the computer to pause the seemingly endless flow of data before returning his attention to the scarred man.

After a moment, when the boy's eyes shifted away, Leon realised he needed to say something…anything. "Aerith sent me with this," He offered one of the lunch sacks. "You should eat."

The boy took the sack from Leon with a small nod. "You want to sit down?"

After a moment, both had sat crossed legged on the floor with their lunches.

Again, Leon broke the silence. "Cid wanted me to make sure you knew that something from before wasn't directed at you. He thought he might have made you nervous."

"He did a little," admitted Riku, although the boy sounded fine now, "But I knew he was just frustrated." He shrugged, "No big deal."

They sat in silence for a moment longer. It would have been a rather comfortable one, had Leon not kept thinking about the letter, and more importantly, the lack of response he was receiving.

Riku was acting as if nothing had happened, which did not seem like something he would do. Leon recalled Aerith's words about how the boy might have been too busy to read the letter when he received it. It certainly looked and sounded as if he had been having a rough day; perhaps he had set it aside and then forgotten about it.

Leon decided to get it over with; "Riku, did you received a note from me today?"

Teal eyes met grey and then blinked in confusion, before the boy looked a little nervous. "No…Sorry, was there something you needed?"

Leon just stared at the teen for a moment. He felt both disappointed and relieved. It would have been nice to have everything out on the table for once, but this way, he had technically met his end of the bargain and he had still kept his secret.

"No, it wasn't anything important," answered the sable-haired man.

Riku watched him for a moment, with an almost wistful expression before switching his gaze to something across the room. "Okay, then…"

Leon was about to ask if something was troubling the boy, when a large fast-moving object suddenly zipped into the room and slammed into his chest.

Riku was up, Way to Dawn drawn, and reaching for the object in seconds, as Leon himself shoved it off. They both stopped when they realised what it was.

"What are you doing?" Leon demanded of the little blonde pixie…he really was not in the mood for their antics.

"I'm answering your letter!" cried the pixie. "It was so sweet! At first, I thought 'no way' but as I kept reading, I just couldn't say no."

Leon just stared for a moment, trying to figure out what the pixie was talking about.

Riku took in Leon's confused expression before turning to the pixie, "Rikku, what are you talking about?"

"Riku…?" repeated Leon.

Riku turned to him, "Hmm?"

…And so did the pixie, "Yeah?"

Something clicked in the Gunblade wielder's mind. He glanced at the pixie. "You're name is Riku, too?"

"Yeah, and it's R-I-K-K-U, by the way, but that's alright…it's the thought that counts, and with a heart like that, brains aren't that important anyway," answered the pixie sweetly.

Riku arched an eyebrow at the pixie before switching his gaze between her and Leon, "I think I missed something…"

"Leon wrote me a love letter," supplied the blonde pixie.

It looked as though someone had struck the boy. "What…?"

"No…I didn't," interrupted Leon.

"What do you mean?" asked the pixie. "It was delivered to me this morning."

"Maybe I should go…" Riku's voice was barely more than a whisper as he took a step toward the door.

"No, it's fine," said the grey-eyed man before the silver-haired boy could move further away. "This is just a misunderstanding."

"What do you mean?" asked Rikku as she tilted her head to the side.

Leon sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, before dropping his hand and looking at the pixie. "I mean, I didn't misspell your name in that letter, it was meant for Riku…_that_ Riku," Leon inclined his head toward the teal-eyed boy as he said the last part.

"Ooh…I thought a few things sounded a little off…" said the pixie as she turned to look at the silver-haired teen. "You know…he _does _have eyes that are as mercurial and deep as the sea…and the bit about the brains and strength of heart makes more sense now."

Riku blinked and looked between the two people staring at him, one with a scrutinising gaze, and the other with a hint of concern.

Then the pixie turned to look between the two humans. "Aww…I have to go tell Yuna and Paine about this…I'm never going to hear the end of this one… Later Taters!" She zipped out of the room as quickly as she had entered.

Leon turned his eyes to Riku, who was looking in the direction that the pixie had been hovering before. His eyes shifted slightly as though he were reading something that no one else could see. Then, he met Leon's gaze.

"What did the letter say?" he asked softly, his eyes held that same wistful look from before.

Leon made a mental note to retrieve the letter from those obnoxious pixies later as he closed most of the distance between him and the boy. Moving slowly, so that Riku would have the opportunity to react if he wanted to, he brought one arm around the boy's back and pulled him closer…to a rather intimate distance, as he used to other hand to tilt Riku's face up so their eyes met again.

"This," was all Leon said before leaning down and pressing their lips together. He decided to let the depth of the kiss say the rest for him, and accepted the way the boy melted against him as his answer.

After all, he had always been a man of few words.


	49. Run

_Prompt: Run_

_Given by: Jao Ensatsu Kokuryuha_

_Setting: Destiny Islands, Pre-KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Selphie sat down across from her friends with an excited air that obviously meant she needed their undivided attention.

"I just got the best idea on my way here," the girl announced animatedly.

Kairi and Penelo shared a sceptical glance before smiling and turning to their friend.

"Really?" said Kairi, feigning interest.

"Do tell," added Penelo with a smile.

"I think that one of us should run for class president!" Selphie practically yelled out in her excitement.

Two pairs of blue eyes blinked at her for a moment.

"Count me out," said Kairi flatly.

Selphie looked taken aback by the announcement, "But Kairi, you're the mayor's daughter…you have to know about this sort of thing."

"Fine then, I'll help whichever of you does run handle the campaign," stated the auburn-haired girl. "We all know I'm too lazy to be class president though."

Penelo nodded offhandedly as Selphie shrugged, "You do have a point there."

Kairi shrugged in agreement before returning to her lunch.

"Hmm…I think I'm a little too energetic for it, it might frighten people," commented Selphie.

"Yeah," agreed Penelo.

"Just a little," Kairi added with a smirk.

"What about Tidus?" suggested the green-eyed girl.

"Would you vote for Tidus?" asked Kairi.

"Of course she would, she likes him," answered Penelo.

"Fine…Wakka?" offered the brunette.

"Even you wouldn't vote for him," said Kairi.

"He's a good friend, but he's way too focused on Blitzball to handle the position," stated the blonde.

"Well, that leaves you then," said Selphie cheerfully as she looked at Penelo.

"What?"

"You would be the best choice," commented Kairi.

Selphie gestured toward the auburn-haired girl, "See?"

"I don't have time," said Penelo. "I have Blitzball practice, a part-time job, and training."

"Well, we'll help you," offered Selphie.

"Of course we will," agreed Kairi. "I know about the political stuff from my dad, and Selphie has the highest marks in our year in Tech."

"Plus, between Blitzball, all your friends, and your job at the store, everyone knows and likes you." Selphie smiled at her friend, "It isn't a big class and everyone would cut you some slack if you got tied up with practice or work for a little while."

"You really think so…?" questioned Penelo, who was obviously thinking this over.

Tidus and Wakka joined them at that moment.

"Hey, what are you guys talking about?" questioned Tidus as he sat beside Selphie.

"You two are ginning like a couple hyenas," added Wakka as he eyed the two brunettes warily.

"We're trying to talk Penelo into running for class president," supplied Selphie.

Both boys broke into grins now too.

"That would be awesome," said Tidus.

"You'd be perfect for that, ya," stated Wakka.

"You know the whole team will vote for you," added Tidus.

"I think that makes you a sure win right there," stated Kairi.

"She's worried she won't have the time to do a good job," explained Selphie.

"Well we'll help you, right guys?" asked Tidus as he looked at the others.

"Of course, we already offered to," said Kairi.

"What kind of friends would we be if we didn't, ya?" questioned Wakka.

Penelo smiled as she looked at each of her friends' grinning faces. "Alright, let's try it."

Tidus whooped, "Great!"

"I'm gonna tell the team," said Wakka as he grabbed his lunch tray and headed for the table that was occupied by most of the Blitzball team.

Kairi pulled a pencil and some paper out of her schoolbag. "I'm going to come up with a campaign schedule."

"I'm going to print out some flyers for the halls after school today," stated Selphie with a smile.

The blonde girl could not help but chuckle at her friends' enthusiasm. "Okay, I'll sign up right after we finish lunch."

It was going to be an interesting year…


	50. Idiotic

_Prompt: Idiotic_

_Given by: Jao Ensatsu Kokuryuha_

_Setting: Radiant Garden, Post-KHII_

_Pairings: None_

* * *

Sora sat in a chair by the bed, a concerned expression on his face as he watched his friend, who had finally fallen into a deep sleep.

Riku rarely took ill…at least seriously enough to keep him bedridden. It was probably due to this that when he did, Sora was always worried. It had been that way for as long as either of them could remember.

The spiky-haired teen knew it was foolish. People got sick, and Riku was just as human as the next person was, but it still just seemed wrong to see Riku so frail.

As Sora was watching, teal eyes surrounded by dark circles drifted open, and pale lips managed a weak grin.

"I guess some things really never change," murmured Riku.

"I can be concerned for my best friend…besides you look like you'd fit right in at Halloween Town," muttered Sora, even as he grinned back.

"People take ill, Sora, don't worry so much," commented Riku as he sat up against a couple pillows. "My body has to adjust to a new world…that means new viruses, temperatures, humidity levels…everything. I'll be fine in a couple days."

"Great…another couple days of shovelling gravel with Cloud," commented Sora, still smiling at his friend.

"Aww, you actually have to exert yourself instead of just hanging around the computer room while I do all the work," Riku joked without his usual finesse.

Sora gave his friend a small glare and was about to punch his arm when he noticed something shift in Riku's eyes. The silver-haired boy looked almost frightened for a second before the emotion had passed.

"What?" asked Sora, his concern returning. "Riku, what was it?"

"It's nothing," answered the teal-eyed boy. "It's just that you never used to get that look before…but he did."

"He…?" Confusion added to Sora's concern.

"Roxas," explained Riku.

"Well…he is a part of me," commented the blue-eyed boy.

"I know," replied the silver-haired teen. "I just rarely can see the similarities."

"Was he really that different?" asked Sora, who still knew very little of what his Nobody had been like, having only briefly met him once in between battles.

"Yeah," answered Riku. "He didn't look or sound like you as much as Xemnas did Xehanort. He had the same basic build, but there were more notable differences…and he acted a lot different, had different gestures and looks, that sort of thing…he moved a lot differently."

Sora leaned back in his chair a little, "What do you mean, moved differently?"

"Well, he fought with a lot of anger, and he tended to overdo every gesture and expression." Riku smirked lightly, "He also had the most idiotic run I've ever seen…including Kairi's and Selphie's…"

"What?" asked Sora, trying to look tough, but fighting back a laugh at the same time, "But I don't' have an idiotic run…do I?"

"No, not like this, you don't," commented Riku. "It looked like he was trying to squat, run, and perform the lumberjack song at the same time…"

Sora burst out laughing at that point. The door to the room suddenly opened before he could control himself enough to speak.

Leon entered with a cup of tomato soup in his hand, and a bottle of water along with a bottle of aspirin tucked under his arm.

"Riku really should rest, Sora," commented the scarred man as he set the items down on the bedside table.

"I know, I'm not bugging him," responded Sora between his snickers as Riku offered a small agreeing nod before bringing a hand to his head as if in pain.

Leon crossed his arms and looked between the ill boy and his laughing friend. "What were you two talking about anyway?"

"Nobody," they both answered, one through suppressed laughter, the other already weak from the effort of the brief conversation.

A dark brown eyebrow arched, "I sad 'what' not 'who'."

"We know," answered Sora as Riku replied, "Same difference."

"Fine," stated Leon before giving Riku a quick once-over and then silently exiting the room.

Riku picked up the cup of soup and gingerly took a sip, as Sora watched him with a knowing, amused expression.

A silver eyebrow rose in question.

"Still think you don't have a chance at getting through to him?" questioned Sora as Riku set down the mug and opened the bottle of aspirin.

"You might have a point there," commented the teal-eyed boy, "But I'm not going to think on it until it doesn't feel like a couple of Large Bodies are bouncing off each other in my head."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea," agreed Sora with a smile, glad to see his friend's spirits up. Everyone else had written Riku's down mood from the past several days off as the first signs of the illness, but Sora knew better. He would not doubt if it had not been why Riku got so ill.

"Well, get better soon so I can get out of gravel duty," Sora said as he stood to leave. "Cloud complains non-stop all day."

"Good to know I'm missed," commented Riku as he shifted lower in the bed.

"You are," responded Sora with a warm smile.

"You're still a total sap, too," murmured Riku.

"You know you love me," teased Sora as he turned to the door. "I'll let you get some sleep now."

"Thanks Sora." It could have been the illness, but Riku's voice sounded much too serious to simply be thanking his friend for leaving him alone.

Sora smiled as he closed the door behind him.

So what if they were both a bit idiotic at times…that was what friends were for.


	51. Robot

_Prompt: Robot_

_Given by: Jao Ensatsu Kokuryuha_

_Setting: Radiant Garden, Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None; Hints at Leon/Riku_

* * *

"The kid is a robot…," commented Zack in something close to awe as he took a glance into the next room. 

"I know," commented Zell. "Even Leon can't work on that thing for more than a handful of hours straight…and no one is more robotic or dedicated to the restoration than he is."

"I am somehow both flattered and insulted by that statement." Leon chimed in from the large desk he was working at.

"You know we love you," retorted the blonde man as Zack simply waved the grey-eyed man's comment away.

"Seriously though," Zell stated after Leon merely shook his head and continued working; "I know he learned from Ansem the Wise and all that, but even that doesn't explain it."

"Maybe we actually found someone more introverted and frustrated than Leon," said the former SOLDIER with a smirk.

"You could try learning from Riku's example instead of sitting around talking trash," said Leon.

"Why?" questioned Zell. "Between you and the kid, nearly everything we came here to check on is handled."

"Besides, we're having fun and spending quality time with our dear old friend," added Zack.

"There _is _work to be done elsewhere; the restoration is still far from complete," stated Leon, "And we see each other nearly every day."

"All minor details," responded the black-haired man, causing Zell to chuckle and Leon to roll his eyes.

"Fair does have a point," Zell suddenly stated, looking at the sable-haired man. "You haven't looked up from that pile of schematics and reports since we arrived, and that kid has been working on that computer for over ten hours straight now."

Leon's head snapped up abruptly, causing the other two to straighten.

"What?" asked Zack at the same time Zell said, "Something wrong?"

"He didn't take a break at all today?" asked Leon. It was an indication of their close friendship that the other two recognised the concern in his voice.

It was also a mark of how long they had been friends that they thought to harass him about it right away.

Zell grinned, "Now why is _that _the only thing you have fully responded to today?"

Zack raised his eyebrows suggestively, "Maybe there's a reason why Leon's so much more frustrated and introverted lately…and if the kid is the same way, then maybe-"

"Do not finish that statement." Leon's tone left no room for argument.

Now blonde eyebrows rose as well as black, both with the same look of surprise

"I think this is more serious than we thought," commented the tattooed man.

"I think you're right," agreed the violet-eyed man.

"You both need to stop thinking," commented Leon, "It's too late to pick up new habits…"

Both blue and violet eyes widened slightly.

"Oh, now we know something's up," said Zell.

Zack nodded, "He's way to defensive…"

"I am not defensive," stated Leon. "I have a right to be worried if the kid is overtaxing himself without you two jumping to absurd conclusions."

"Yeah…but normally you just don't respond or say 'whatever' when we tease like this," commented Zell.

"Exactly," agreed Zack as he folded his arms over his chest. "Why are you so keen to keep us quiet on this?"

"Because it's immoral and it could make Riku uncomfortable," replied the scarred man.

"…And why do you care if we make Riku uncomfortable?" asked the black-haired man. "You don't care how we affect anyone else."

"You do realise that sounded more like you were trying to remind yourself then convince us, right?" questioned the blonde man.

Leon sighed. "He's just a kid, he's got some understandable trust issues, and he's not used to your antics. …And I already know it's immoral; I don't need to remind myself."

The other two men sobered notably as the grey-eyed man stood. A silent understanding passed between them.

"I'm going to make sure Riku takes a break," said Leon.

Zack and Zell exchanged a glance.

"It's pretty late, you know," said the violet-eyed man.

"You should both get some rest," added the blue-eyed man.

Leon watched them from the doorway for a moment before nodding slowly, as if thanking them. "Put away those files for me, would you? I'm going to take the kid home."

Both Zell and Zack nodded as he left the room.

"Think he'll actually say something about it?" asked Zack.

"Not without some persuasion," replied Zell, "And the kid isn't going to offer any."

"We'll just have to take care of that then," replied the former SOLDIER.

"That we will," agreed the blonde.

The two friends knocked their fist together before attempting to sort and put away the pile of forms and blueprints on the large desk.


	52. Hero

_Prompt: Hero_

_Given by: RedSparrow_

_Setting: Radiant Garden, Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Leon had not felt so helpless since the Heartless took over his world.

When the swarm of Heartless once again began coming from the old castle ruins, he had ran ahead of the others, not stopping to fight as they did, but slashing his way through the hoard.

He could not leave a friend alone in the middle of this nightmare.

The boy had already defeated so much…saved so much. There was a reason he was one of the Keyblade's chosen wielders. The boy truly was a hero.

…But sometimes, heroes die.

Leon never wished that statement were untrue more than he did right now.

The boy fought well, with a grace and power that even Sora had not possessed, but there were just too many for any one person to handle alone, nevertheless Leon still felt it might have been better if he had stayed with the others.

Riku had started making his way to Leon, as the scarred man still fought toward him, once he noticed him in the crowd of Heartless. They had almost reached each other when something -even now, Leon could not say what- had struck the boy.

Now, there was a large gash starting near his right shoulder and slanting across his torso to end nearly halfway down his left thigh.

Leon had the boy's shoulders resting against his own thigh as he crouched beside the boy. His left hand and forearm was pressing against the dressing over as much of the long wound as he could cover at once. The other hand was stroking through Riku's hair…the only comforting gesture Leon could manage now.

After receiving the injury, Riku had managed to destroy the enemy whom Leon could not recall, and the grey-eyed man finally reached him. They were surrounded, and before the sable-haired man could think of a course of action, Riku acted.

There was a blinding flash of white light before nearly all of the surrounding Heartless turned to nothing more than dark ash, and then Riku collapsed. He still had not woken.

Leon recalled Sora's telling of their final battle against the organization…and even Xehanort's Heartless for that matter. It seemed to him that Riku had a tendency toward self-sacrifice. He could not fault him for it, but he desperately hoped that saving him would not be the boy's final act.

Sora had also spoken of the king coming to save him when he was sure he was not going to make it…Riku had followed and aided him as well. Perhaps the Keyblade made a connection between them all. Mickey was closer to Riku, if this were true, than surely, he would come to help him. Leon just hoped he made it in time…or that the others would come. Aerith could do so much more to keep the boy alive than he could.

Teal eyes cracked open, but took a moment to focus in on him.

"Don't move," instructed Leon as he pushed the boy's bangs out of his face. "Do you have enough strength left to cast that healing spell of yours?" He knew the answer already, but hoped he was mistaken.

A weak gesture answered him, but it was clear all the same. The boy had shaken his head, _no_. Leon sighed and lowered his head.

"It figures…it would be you…" Riku said weakly.

"What do you mean?" asked the grey-eyed man.

"No one else…would beat themselves up as much…if I died f-"

"Don't give up, Riku," interrupted Leon. "You can still pull through this."

Leon tried to sound as strong as he could…he wondered why the Heartless attacks tended to leave him feeling so destitute.

"It just goes…to prove…that you have a heart…" stated the boy as though he had sensed Leon's thoughts. "They wouldn't…affect you so much…if you didn't…"

Grey eyes just stared at the boy. He was not sure if he was fighting back laughter or tears. He had spent so long trying to act heartless when that was the last thing he wanted to be…

The sable-haired man heard multiple foot beats approaching. He hoped it was his friends. He could not defend Riku and prevent the boy from bleeding to death at the same time.

Riku must have heard it too, because he laid one of his arms over Leon's, ready to take over quickly if need be, even though he must have known he would not have the strength for it.

Leon took an odd sort of determination from this. The boy was not going to give up. The scarred man only hoped that he would not fail again.

"You didn't fail…Leon…ever…" Riku's voice could barely be heard, even with how close they were.

Once again, the boy seemed to read his thoughts. Before Sora had left to return to his islands, he had told Leon that he thought the two were very much alike, maybe he had been right.

Teal eyes began to drift closed again.

"Riku," Leon said gently, but strong enough to make sure the boy heard. "I want you to do me a favour…"

"Mmm…" There was a questioning tone to the sound.

"From now on, call me Squall."

Again, the gesture was weak, but the boy definitely nodded…Leon could almost swear the kid's lip twitched, as if he were smirking on the inside. His voice was inaudible as his mouth tested the name.

Leon continued stroking the boy's hair. His Gunblade lay directly beside him. Whatever was coming, they would both either leave together or die trying.

...Because it was true that, sometimes, heroes die…but they never give up.


	53. Flowers

_Prompt: Flowers_

_Given by: RedSparrow_

_Setting: Destiny Islands, Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

He watched from the shadows as the boy entered the cemetery, just as he knew he would.

The teen had followed the same pattern for the past few weeks that he had been watching him.

The boy left his home or foster home really, at six-thirty in the morning to walk to school. The teenager did not seem to share the same schedule as any of his friends, and did not wait for them after school as he suspected the boy would have done once. Instead of heading home, the boy went into town, stopped at the same flower stand everyday, and spent a good twenty to thirty minutes at the same grave every afternoon before heading to that strange tree on the islet that no one seemed capable of disturbing him on, where he would do his homework and…think? Until nightfall, then he would usually head to his best friend's home before slipping off to his own after anyone who might think of attempting to communicate with him had undoubtedly gone to sleep.

He moved close enough to catch what the boy was saying, but remained far enough away for the child not to pay him any mind.

The adolescent was talking about his day. It seemed the child had shared a tip that the grave's occupant had once given him with his best friend. This had resulted in said friend passing a test that he had been sure to fail beforehand. The boy himself had passed each of his own exams, which he did not sound very excited or surprised by. The boy explained that he did not particularly like the home he was currently living in, but it was not 'too bad'. The boy missed the grave's occupant. The child did not want to stay here. The boy was sorry.

The boy always apologised before he left.

The next day, he went to the cemetery on his own while the child was at school. He left some flowers on the ground and nodded to the headstone before leaving. He was not the type to say thank you to a stone.

The boy followed his routine as usual once out of school, only this time he paused to notice the unique flowers by the grave. A small smile touched the teenager's face before he left.

The following day, he again placed some flowers on the grave while the boy was at school. Again, the boy noticed them, but this time, he looked slightly confused.

The day after, he had again left flowers, not even sure why he felt the desire to do so. The teenager went the library after visiting the grave…to look up flora.

It was then that he realised his mistake. The flowers he left were not from this world, and the boy knew it. The adolescent had probably assumed the first bouquet was from his best friend, the Keyblade wielding hero who was the only other person on the islands to travel the worlds besides the boy himself. However, the teen probably tried to express some form of appreciation to his friend, and in turn learned that he had not left the foreign plants.

The boy continued to follow his usual schedule, only he seemed tense as he walked down the streets and he stayed at the quiet islet longer instead of going to his friend's house when it grew dark.

He grew concerned, as the teenager appeared to move in a daze, barely aware of his surroundings anymore. The child was always alone and seemed to return home only to sleep, which he did not look like he did enough. The boy took to wandering around the islands by himself, not caring for where his feet brought him.

It was probably due to these reasons, as well as the uncertain explanation behind them, that the boy did not realise the bridge he walked across one day had not fared well after a recent storm. He had been watching the teen long enough to know that he was usually quite observant about those things.

In a rare moment of acting without thought, he dived after the boy as the child fell.

Strong arms and obsidian wings wrapped around the smaller, trembling frame as he brought the unconscious boy out of the freezing water and attempted to warm him.

Once sure that the teen was all right, he brushed aside the boy's silver hair, so much like his own, and at this distance noticed for the first time how the boy's delicate bone structure and fair skin were similar to his as well.

He retreated back into the shadows when he sensed the boy regaining consciousness. He knew it was better for the child if they did not have direct contact. Their separation had come about for a reason.

The boy sat up slowly and took in his surroundings, clearly confused as to how he got there. Suddenly, teal eyes fell onto something on the ground, before the boy picked up a single black feather.

He was not concerned; the boy would most likely write it off as having come from some local bird. However, the teen's expression changed from confused, to one of vague recognition before he stood and placed the feather in his pocket.

He wondered at this…surely the child had been far too young to truly remember him.

The boy wrapped his arms around himself before gazing around once more, as if looking for him, before the child slowly made his way back to the mainland, seeming deep in thought. The teen stayed at his best friend's house that night.

He was not sure exactly what had done it, but something changed after that night. The boy smiled whenever he saw the unique flowers on his mother's grave. The teenager spent less time alone on the strange tree, and the time he did spend there seemed more tranquil than before. The boy also began to show some level of concern for his own well being again…and did not wander around locations that could easily lead him to harm.

As he learned more and more about the boy through listening to the adolescent's 'conversations' with his mother's grave and seeing him interact with his friends, he began to understand the reason for the boy's sudden change in behaviour.

Both where now aware of the other's presence, and felt a strange sort of peace at the knowledge that they were simply there.

Neither felt alone anymore.


	54. Believe

_Prompt: Believe_

_Given by: RedSparrow_

_Setting: The Beast's Castle, Post-KHII_

_Pairings: None, Hints at Bell/Prince_

* * *

Sora had been very excited to finally be able to take his best friends to meet some of his other friends. Beast's castle was the perfect place to start, he decided. He had only seen the castle himself, so he would not overwhelm them by dragging them all over an entire world to see the sights and people he had already known. In addition, there were less people for them to have to meet, and it was a completely contained environment, which would be useful considering Kairi's tendency to be captured and Riku's tendency to disappear.

Besides, Kairi had been dying to actually meet some of the princesses Sora had told her about, and Riku did not seem up to lots of human contact after everything that happened.

…And that was when the spiky-haired boy realised that he was taking _Riku _to the _Beast's_ castle.

_Riku_, who already had self-image issues and who had defeated the Beast during his brief lapse of character (as Sora and Kairi called it), would have to spend time around the _Beast_, who could hold a grudge like no other and had quite the temper from what Sora had seen.

Maybe this was going to prove to be more problematic than Sora had anticipated. The blue-eyed teen told his friends he was fine when asked if something was wrong (in Kairi's case) or what was the matter (in Riku's case). Maybe Beast will have learned from their previous experiences and give Riku a chance…or at least not try to kill him on sight.

Upon arrival, Sora noticed that there was something different about the castle, although he could not quite put his finger on just what it was that had changed. When he and his friends entered, Sora was surprised to see humans in the castle.

"Sora dear," said a kind older woman with a very familiar voice as she approached the kids. "What a nice surprise!" She turned towards the stairs, "Lumiere, let the master know that Sora and his friends are here! Come inside dears, don't be shy," the kind woman added to the teenagers.

"Er…thanks," answered Sora, still not sure who the woman was.

"Oh, you must be tired after such a long trip," cooed the woman as she began leading the boy (who's friends followed immediately) toward a familiar door. "Why don't you dears sit down by the fire and have a nice cup of tea?"

That struck a chord; "Mrs. Potts?" asked Sora, "When did you change back? Is everybody human again? What about-"

"Gees, Sora, let the lady answer one question at a time," interrupted Kairi as she turned her attention from the castle to he friend.

"That's quite all right, dear," said Mrs. Potts. "The spell was broken not long after you and your other friends left. We're all back to our old selves again…with a few improvements in certain cases."

Before they reached the door, a regal looking man with blonde hair and blue eyes appeared at the top of the large staircase that led to the west wing. "Sora, it's so good to see you," he called in greeting.

The spiky-haired boy tried to place the voice, but could not. He noticed that Mrs. Potts still had some similar features to the teapot she had become, so he tried to see if this man fit a similar description. The man did not seem to fit any of the servants Sora had met before.

The man inclined his head politely to Kairi as he reached the base of the stairs, and turned to do the same to Riku when he suddenly paused mid-step. Both appeared slightly confused as they searched the other's eyes for a moment. Then Riku's eyes widened slightly and he took a step backwards seconds before the man's eyes narrowed.

Kairi glanced at Sora and muttered, "Next time, no surprises, okay?"

"What's going on?" Sora asked as Riku's eyes looked very ashamed.

"What is _he _doing here?" growled the man, and as his voice grew harsher, Sora thought it sounded more familiar.

"Prince?" asked the spiky-haired teen.

Just as the man took a step forward and Sora was trying to decide what to do, a new voice called from up the stairs. "Sora! Kairi! Riku!"

The rather tense group at the base of the stairs all looked up as Belle quickly walked down the stairs in a green dress. She walked right past the angry prince and hugged Sora, who was too confused to react, then Kairi, who smiled and returned the gesture, and finally Riku, who nearly jumped out of his skin at the contact.

"I'm so glad all of you could come," said the kind brunette as she smiled at the three teenagers.

"Er…you- …You don't remember me, do you?" questioned Riku.

"Of course I do," answered Belle, her smile never fading as she laid a hand on the boy's shoulder. "You didn't think I was going to hold that against you did you? Naturally, we understand you didn't mean any harm, don't we dear?" She turned to look at the prince as she stated the last part.

Narrowed blue eyes turned to her, "Belle, don't you realise what this boy could have done?"

Brown eyes met blue firmly as Belle turned to face the prince fully. "The point is that he did _not _do the things he could have. He didn't do anything that was irreparable and he gave up a lot to do the right thing in the end!"

The prince opened his mouth to argue his point further, but Belle pointed at his chest as she continued irritably, "And you of all people should know the importance of giving people a second chance!"

The prince seemed dumbstruck by this for a moment, and then he rubbed the back of his neck hesitantly before looking nearly as ashamed as Riku.

Kairi looked as though she was trying very hard not to laugh, Sora was completely floored, and Riku still looked uncertain. Belle turned back to teens with a smile as she stood beside the slightly less regal looking prince.

"Won't you join us for dinner tonight?" asked the brown-eyed woman.

"Of course," answered Kairi, who still appeared to be suppressing the urge to giggle.

"Er…okay," answered Sora, who wondered if this was what shellshock felt like.

Riku offered an apologetic, although still hesitant, expression, "I think I'll just-"

"No, please join us," stated the prince, a little flatly, but he still seemed to be lacking any of his earlier hostility.

Riku nodded slowly, "Alright."

The prince cleared his throat, "I've heard that you managed to escape the dark realm on your own…Sora said you found him?"

"Yeah…" answered Riku, still tentative.

"That's quite an achievement," stated the prince, "How did you manage it?"

Teal searched blues for a moment before settling, and a small smile touched Riku's lips as he answered. "I simply believed. Nothing more to it. I believed I would find him…and there I was."

A sort of silent understanding seemed to pass between them before the prince returned the smile.

Belle and Kairi were smiling at the prince and the silver-haired boy as though watching an adorable kitten play with a butterfly. Sora was even more confused by this strange turn of events.

Fortunately, that was a position he had grown very comfortable with after the past year. He smiled and joined his friends as they all headed toward the den.


	55. Quirks

_Prompt: Quirks_

_Given by: Lapse - Raevn_

_Setting: Disney Castle, Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Surprise (no shonen-ai or pederasty, Actually, I'm fairly sure this is canon)_

* * *

She adjusted the skirt of her beautiful, white lace gown as she hummed to herself happily. She could not believe that the day had finally come.

Between her sweetheart's journeys to battle Heartless and Nobodies, as well as his disappearance for a year, during which nearly everyone forgot about his existence, she had worried that he would have changed too much when it was over…that they would not be able to pick up where they had left off.

However, her concerns had proved to be unmerited. He came back much the same as he had left, from his strange style of dress to his tendency not to spot the obvious…and she loved him for every little quirk he possessed.

A noise outside the room caused her to peek into the hallway. On one end, Goofy and Cid were leaning against the wall talking, while she could see King Mickey showing Riku how to fasten his tie correctly through an open door across the corridor. There was a strange thudding sound coming from one of the other rooms down the hall, and she suspected her soon to be husband was the cause. At least she knew the best man was ready…and of course, he would make sure his best friend was set to go in time.

She smiled as she retreated back into the room, where she put on her veil and gloves and checked her eye makeup in the mirror. Then, she spun around just to hear her skirt swish and see her veil flair out behind her. She put on her shoes and walked over to the window, hearing her heels click on the marble floor the whole way.

Through the window, she could see the beautiful garden set up for the ceremony, with white chairs and violet ribbons tied to them, as well as white and purple balloons, streamers, and flowers everywhere. The place looked beautiful, yet comfortable. She also knew that the castle's ballroom had been similarly decorated, with silk covered tables against the walls for the delectable banquet she could smell being prepared downstairs.

King Mickey had suggested that his friends marry at the castle, and Queen Minnie had made sure that several rooms were set up for the wedding party's use beforehand. They really had been so good to the couple. She would have to get them a nice thank you present during their honeymoon.

Another, louder thud sounded from down the hall, followed by Sora's laughter and Donald's inane babbling.

After the sounds died down again, she could hear the guests starting to arrive in the garden. The time was arriving soon. She smiled to herself again.

Soon, she would be known as Mrs. Daisy Duck.


	56. Full Circle

_Prompt: Full Circle_

_Given by: Lapse - Raevn_

_Setting: Destiny Islands, Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Riku grinned and Kairi giggled as Sora continued to whine about the same subject he had been complaining about since his return to the islands a few weeks before.

"I can't believe I'm being held back a year!" The spiky-haired teen groaned. "I'm never going to hear the end of this from Tidus…or that Vaan guy…"

"Considering you can probably take either of them on your own now without breaking a sweat, I really don't think you'll have to worry about that for long," commented Riku.

"Riku does have a point there, Sora," said Kairi. "Plus, you now Tidus is only teasing you, and after everything you've done, does it really matter if Vaan acts like a jerk?"

"How come Riku didn't get held back?" asked Sora, still whining. "He was gone just as long as I was."

"Yeah, but he was awake," stated the auburn-haired girl. "He continued learning and growing mentally and emotionally. You were asleep for most of the time you were gone."

"Besides," added Riku with a mischievous edge to his grin, "I've always been smarter than you."

Kairi laughed as Sora glared at the silver-haired boy. The glare was much better than it used to be…Riku imagined that anyone else might have actually been intimidated by it. He, however, just chuckled at his friend.

"Well, here we are," said Kairi as they approached the school grounds. "It feels strange to be coming here all together again."

"It feels strange just to _be _here again," commented Riku.

The girl gave her teal-eyed friend a nervous glance. "You'll get used to it…it'll just take some time, that's all."

"Relax Kairi," Sora said lightly before giving Riku a pointed look behind her back. "No one is going anywhere."

Riku gave Sora a look that clearly said _shut up now_ before dropping his head and therefore, blocking his face behind his hair as they entered the hall. Sora wondered about this until he noticed the way everyone kept glancing at them and then whispering to their friends. A few people were openly staring at the two boys, some looking curious, others suspicious.

The whispers died as they neared any given group, and then started up again once they had passed enough not to hear what was being said.

"Er…How long do you think it will take for this to get old?" Sora muttered to his friends.

"It's getting old already," murmured Riku.

"It's just big news right now," commented Kairi. "Just act like yourselves and everybody will go back to treating you normally once the novelty wears off."

"Well, I guess this is where we part ways" said Riku. "I'll meet you guys by your lockers after school okay?" The other two nodded and he glanced at Sora. "If you need any help handling Vaan or anyone, you know how to find me." Sora offered a thankful smile and then Riku nodded once before turning down a different hall.

"Isn't he the one who's been pointing out that you can handle yourself now?" question Kairi with a roll of her of her eyes.

Sora smiled at her, "Yeah, but some things never change."

The girl smiled back, "Yeah…but some things do." She glanced down the hall that contained the classroom for the year he would have been in with her, and Sora realised that this was going to be the first time since he befriended the girl that they would not have the same classes. Kairi offered an almost apologetic smile, "I have to go to my first class, but I'll meet you at lunch, alright?"

Sora nodded, "I'll look for you." The girl gave him a kiss on the cheek, 'for luck', and then headed down a different hall, while Sora went to the same classrooms he had before everything happened.

* * *

As soon as Riku entered his first class, all the chattering that had filled the room beforehand ceased as all eyes fell on him. Whispers began as he quietly walked to a seat in the back of the classroom. Hearing that had become unusually sensitive during his time without sight picked up that about half of the class was trying to figure out who the 'new kid' was, while the others were wondering where he had been for the past year.

Two girls changed seats, so that the brunette was seated at the desk next to Riku's and her blonde friend was sitting at her other side. The blonde kept worrying her lower lip and the brunette kept taking nervous, sideways glances at Riku, as though she wanted to say something, but was not sure how to approach him. Riku hoped she decided to drop whatever she was thinking of saying.

"So…I guess you won't be living next door now?" the brunette asked him after a moment. It was then that Riku realised she had lived next door to him for as long as he could remember…until he came back to find his home empty and his family name on a town memorial. He only shook his head in form of response, and Rinoa turned back to Quistis. He was oddly pleased and slightly surprised that he remembered their names.

At the end of the day, the silver-haired boy met Kairi at her locker. She was talking animatedly to Selphie.

"Riku!" squealed the hyperactive girl once she saw him.

"Hi, Selphie," the silver-haired boy said calmly.

"How was it?" asked Kairi.

"My old methods work for the most part," answered Riku.

Kairi sighed in a defeated manner. "So you sat in the back of all your classes and made no attempt to communicate with anyone all day?"

"I shook my head at my old neighbour and nodded to Reks, does that count?" asked the teal-eyed boy.

Kairi rolled her eyes and Selphie shook her head. "Fine…let's go," said the auburn-haired girl.

"Aren't you forgetting someone?" Riku asked, giving the girls a strange look. He knew that they had spent a year believing him to be dead and not having any recollection of Sora, but would they not notice the spiky-haired boy's absence so easily?

"Oh, yeah," Kairi slapped her forehead. "You wouldn't have hard about that. Sora has detention, so he's going to catch up to us later."

Riku blinked. "Sora received a detention on his first day back? What happened?"

Kairi sighed again, this time it sounded more frustrated. "He got into a fight with Vaan."

"Too bad he didn't turn out more like his brother; Reks is actually a pretty decent guy." Riku frowned. "Sora never used to be the sort to resort to violence right away though."

"He didn't," said Kairi, "He just didn't retreat when Vaan started up the way he used to."

"I guess that's good," replied the teal-eyed teen. "So what was the fight about?"

Both girls giggled. "Oh, there are some pretty interesting rumours going around involving you guys and where you were after the storm," explained Kairi. "I think Sora is having trouble keeping most of what happened to himself."

"There's a surprise," Selphie added facetiously.

"I guess it'll take a little longer for things to get back to normal," said Kairi.

"Even if it doesn't, it'll all balance out sooner or later," commented Riku.

Kairi grinned mischievously. "Wait until you hear some of the stories going around about you though…"


	57. Circulation

_Prompt: Circulation_

_Given by: Lapse - Raevn_

_Setting: Destiny Islands, Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Sora knew the worlds were not supposed to know about each other. He knew he was not supposed to meddle. He knew that he was not supposed to talk about his adventures with those who did not already have an awareness of the situation. 

However, he could not see the harm in telling some of his other friends a little bit about the adventure. Riku might be content to not speak of his side of the story to anyone, even Sora, but the spiky-haired teen decided it was better to tell a little bit to stop people from asking…just the bits that wouldn't give away too much.

His main flaw in this decision, he decided as he heard some odd rumours circulating in the halls all day, was that he forgot to consider said circulation, as well as over exaggeration, eavesdropping, and the way people tend to add their own little titbit's as they repeat a story. In addition, there was the added speculation for the parts he did not or could not tell…

"I heard that those creatures a bunch of people said they saw during that strange storm last year were created by an evil sorceress…"

"I heard that too, and she kidnapped that boy with the silver hair who everyone thought died…"

"…And his best friend, Sora, tried to stop her, so the witch put him in an enchanted sleep for a year, and that's why everyone forgot about him."

"Then, this middle aged mercenary, who was named after something weather or sky related, I think…"

"I heard it was a prince, who had given up his kingdom to atone for his failure to save his friends from his arch nemesis' blade and joined an evil deities ranks to search for a way to save them…"

"Well, in either case, he was a middle aged mercenary at the time, and he fell in love the boy at first sight…"

"…So, he defied the god and saved the boy from the evil witch."

"I heard that he actually saved him from an evil dark lord who had stolen Riku from the witch and forced him to be his catamite!"

"Selphie, I don't think that's what Sora meant when he said a dark entity possessed Riku's body…I think he meant _meta_physically, not _physically_."

"…But that doesn't make any sense…"

"…"

"…But then the god he had defied when he left to save the boy, sent his fallen angel assassin after the prince, so he had to go face him, but the boy had to go save his friend…"

"Are you sure? I heard the boy is actually a Watcher, which makes sense, I mean, just look at him. Anyhow, the angel was actually angry at the mercenary for trying to claim the boy…"

"So that's why the kid was adopted…"

"Yep, anyway, while his beloved went off to search for the fallen angel, Riku left on his own to save Sora from the enchanted sleep."

"I heard he had to enter another realm and give up his eyesight to prove his purity so he could obtain the key that would open the chamber his friend slept in."

"…And once he saved his friend, they left together to defeat the evil sorceress and save the worlds…"

"Afterwards, the worlds gave the boy his eyesight back and allowed the two friends to return home, as a reward for their heroic deeds."

"But now he shies away from most contact because of everything he's been through at the hands of the witch and the dark lord…"

"I heard he actually is heartbroken because he doesn't know what became of the prince…"

"So he spends most of his time alone, watching the sky from the Paopu tree, longing for his love to send him some sign that he made it…"

"...Or for him to return to him."

"It's so romantic…"

Kairi sat on the bench beside Sora. "Riku is going to main you."

"Maybe it's just our years that are talking…," answered the guilty looking boy.

"Yeah, and none of them will tell their siblings the story later," commented Kairi. "Selphie will have told Irvine half of these rumours before they even reach home."

"I didn't think they would repeat any of it," defended Sora. "And most of this they added themselves. I don't even know what a Watcher is."

"It's the offspring of a human woman and an angel," explained the auburn-haired girl.

Sora looked thoughtful, "Well, he does kind of look like Sephiroth…"

Kairi gave him a scolding look, "But you didn't think they would add to it? You weren't even supposed to say anything to begin with! …_And _to top it all off, you go and get yourself a detention, so _I'm _going to have to be the one to tell Riku that everybody is talking about him, after he's tried so hard to just go unnoticed!"

"It's not like I wanted for any of this to happen," said Sora, "And I didn't want a detention, it just happened. Anyway, just tell him like you think it's funny and not to be taken seriously, and he won't get upset with you."

Kairi sighed, "He'll still be upset Sora."

"I'll owe him, okay?"

"Big time."


	58. Defiance

_Prompt: Defiance_

_Given by: SKF_

_Setting: Some Castle Dungeon, Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Kairi, Selphie, and Penelo each looked at one another in the dark dungeon.

It smelled of dust and moisture. In addition to the three friends, some old rusty chains hung off the sidewall menacingly, while a stone bench sat across the back wall. Aside from that, the room was bare.

"Why do I _always _get kidnapped?!" Kairi exclaimed as she stomped her foot in frustration.

"Well, aren't you some kind of royalty?" asked Selphie.

"_No_," answered Kairi, still sounding irritated. "Princess of Heart is like an honorary title. I'm not actually of royal blood."

"But you are the mayor's daughter," said Selphie. "Maybe that's why they took you…And they had to take us because we were with you."

"_Or_," said Penelo loudly, "They decided to take the friends and possible romantic interests of the Keyblade's chosen wielders."

"I think she's got the right idea," said Kairi, nodding. "I am so going to ream Sora out after this…"

"Romantic interests?" repeated Selphie, "But isn't Riku-?"

"That's beside the point," interrupted Penelo.

"Plus, it's not like the bad guys would be privy to that information," added Kairi. "He technically hasn't even told _us _yet."

"True…" conceded the brunette.

"Wait…" said Penelo as she cocked her head to the side. "I think someone's coming…"

The others paused a moment. They could definitely hear footsteps approaching. It was impossible to tell if it was one set or more with all the echoes.

Kairi backed up to the wall opposite the door. Selphie dashed to a sidewall. Penelo ducked into the corner behind the door.

The door opened and three men entered the dungeon. The first man spoke, "Alright kiddie's, we're going to make this clear before-"

At that moment, Selphie grabbed one of the chains from the wall and lashed the man in the face as if it were a whip. Meanwhile, Penelo jumped forward and grabbed the second mans arm, pulling a dagger out of his hand and she kicked him in the shin. Kairi yelled 'Aero' as she raised her hands, and a shield of air surrounded her blonde friend as he fought the third man.

Selphie whipped the second man after Kairi cast Slow on him, and Penelo knocked out the third man with the hilt of her acquired dagger.

Once again, all three girls looked at one another in the quiet dungeon.

"Is that it?" asked Selphie.

Penelo glanced out the door, "Looks like it."

"Did thy think we were just going to sit here quietly or something?" asked the brunette, earning her a shrug from the blonde.

"I guess they aren't used to damsels with a defiant streak," said Kairi as she too shrugged. "What do we do now?"

"Chain them to the wall?" suggested Selphie.

"And take their weapons," added Penelo.

"Okay, we can meet up with Sora and Riku when they arrive," agreed Kairi as the three petite girls all grabbed one of the men by the shirt and began dragging him to the wall.

"They're probably already here if these guys were coming for us," said Selphie as she experimented with one of the shackles attached to a chain.

Penelo paused as she checked over the last man, looking for weapons and anything useful. "I think I hear someone else coming."

The three friends moved to surround the entrance. Selphie had a chain ready to lash out, Penelo had a dagger ready, and Kairi raised her arms to cast a spell when familiar voice called over.

"Kairi? Penelo? Selphie? What-?" Sora ran into the room and skidded to a halt, looking around with a dumfounded expression.

Riku was right beside his spiky-haired friend, although he merely glanced around the room calmly before turning to Sora with a small grin, "I told you there was no need to panic."

"Er…" Sora rubbed his neck in confusion before smiling at his friends with an embarrassed blush, "Everyone ready to go home then?"


	59. Living

_Prompt: Living_

_Given by: SKF_

_Setting: Radiant Garden, Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Leon was leaning against one of the stone walls of The Bailey. The sun was setting, and he had worked at the restoration all day long. He did not notice the boy approaching until he spoke quietly from somewhere behind him.

"I didn't see you there," Riku stated without infusing any emotion into his tone. "Is it alright if I stay?"

Leon nodded. He normally would have either said no, or made an excuse to leave, depending on whom it was. He wanted the time alone, to think, but most of the others did not seem to understand this.

Cid and Zell were not that bad, they usually just wrote it off as Leon being in one of his moods, and ignored him for a while. Cloud or Zack would just start talking, not really expecting any response, but seeming to think that they should take advantage of his silence. Aerith or Tifa would try to get him to join them in conversation. Yuffie or Sora would try to cheer him up. Reno was just annoying and Rude was even more taciturn than Leon was.

Riku…Leon was not sure what the boy was. He would make sure his presence was not unwanted and then just sit on the ledge quietly for hours. Indeed, the teen had already taken his usual perch.

Many of the others tended to comment on how much like Leon the boy was. The scarred man often wondered if they truly were so much alike, or if the boy's usual stoic expression and silence broken sometimes by a sarcastic remark or simple explanation simply reminded them of him.

Looking over, Leon noticed that the boy appeared deep in thought. His expression had not really changed, but the boy's eyes always gave away his emotions. Leon thought that he would have never taken the blindfold off if he had to be so exposed…he wondered if that was why the boy had not cut his hair, and why he always seemed to keep his head turned slightly and lowered a bit.

Following the troubled gaze, Leon realised the boy was watching the castle in the fading light…watching it as it disappeared into the growing darkness.

"What are you thinking?" Leon found himself asking the question aloud without meaning to.

Instead of turning to look at Leon as he answered, the boy lowered his head slightly, hiding his expressive eyes behind silver locks that seemed designed for that sole purpose. "I'm wondering why we feel sorry for the dead when living seems so much harder most of the time."

Leon watched the boy for a moment, wondering how concerned he should feel at that answer. He understood that the teenager carried a burden even greater than his own, but neither of them ever spoke of these burdens, and it did not seem to be necessary for them to.

Moving almost instinctively, the dark-haired man walked a few steps to stand within an arms reach of where the boy sat, legs dangling over the edge of the town.

Riku's head turned slightly toward Leon. The grey-eyed man imagined that the boy was quite accustomed to seeing through a veil of silver by now. "I don't mean that I want to join them or anything."

Leon nodded, wondering why he should feel so relieved when he had not even decided whether he should be concerned about that yet. "I heard you're planning to stay here." He was not sure why he asked.

Riku shifted slightly. "Yeah…"

Leon was not sure how to state his next question. He knew from Sora that Riku's mother, who did not return when the worlds were restored, had raised the silver-haired boy alone. Leon did not want to think about how guilty he would feel if he were in the boy's position. He also knew that Sora and Kairi must know, since the only reason Leon did was that he had heard the kids discussing it with Aerith and Cid. Even still…

"Isn't there someone who'll have something to say about that?" Again, Leon spoke the question without intending to.

"No," Riku replied, "And they'd have to legally bring me back from the dead and prove that other worlds exist without a means of cross planetary travel to do something about it anyway."

Leon nodded again, he had forgotten about that part. "So you're staying then?"

"Is that okay?" Before Leon could question why the boy was asking his permission, Riku turned and Leon again thought that he never would have taken the blindfold off.

Through all the sorrow, shame, and conflict in those questioning eyes, Leon realised that Riku was not asking for permission, he was asking if it was all right for him to leave his world behind; if he was doing more harm than good; if he could ever be accepted here; if it was all right to run away, but…

"It's okay to try to move on, Riku," Leon said quietly. "You're right; living _is_ harder than dying. You have to live with everything that happens…the good and the bad, but you still have to move on."

"Is that why you're so determined to restore this world?" asked the teen, speaking as quietly as Leon had.

Again, Leon nodded.

A glimmer of hope appeared in the complicated mix of other emotions raging through the boy's eyes. "Thanks, Squall."

Leon felt the corner of his lip turn up of its own accord. "Let's go home."

The boy hopped off his perch quietly and fell into step beside the man as they walked through the dark streets in silence because nothing else needed to be said.


	60. Laughter

_Prompt: Laughter_

_Given by: SKF_

_Setting: Olympic Coliseum, Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Nine, Hints at Pre-Cloud/Riku_

* * *

"Alright, I got us signed up as a team," said Sora as he approached Riku, who was sitting on the bleachers and watching some of the other contestants prove they could enter. "Phil said we could skip the try outs."

Riku nodded as his friend sat down beside him.

"Hey! Guess who else entered?" asked Sora excitedly.

"Cloud and Tifa, Leon and Yuffie, and the Gullwings," stated Riku.

"Er…yeah," Sora blinked in confusion. "How did you know that?"

"Their names were on the rather large tapestries on either side of the entrance," answered Riku with a small grin.

"Oh…right," Sora chuckled. Then his expression suddenly turned thoughtful. "You know…I've never seen Cloud laugh."

Riku arched an eyebrow, "So?"

"What do you mean 'so'?" asked Sora. "You know him better, have you ever seen him laugh?"

"No, but hasn't heard me laugh either," replied Riku.

Sora looked scandalised, "What? Why not?"

Riku turned to look directly at his friend. "Sora, think of when we spent most of our time together… It wasn't a happy time for either of us."

Sora looked disturbed at he stared at his friend, clearly hoping this was a joke, but knowing in his heart it was not. "How could you guys go for that long without laughter?"

Riku shrugged before turning back to the arena, although he didn't appear to be interested anymore. "I told you, it wasn't a happy time."

Sora looked downright sad now. "You went for a whole year without laughing?"

The silver-haired teen sighed, and then offered his friend a small smile. "I've laughed since I got my best friend back, okay?"

Sora smiled back; "And you call me a total sap."

"Hey, I'm not the one getting all emotional over my lack of laughter, am I?" countered Riku.

Sora's eyes suddenly lit up in a way that Riku knew meant he should prepare for a lot of work and embarrassment to come. "We need to get Cloud to laugh."

Riku just stared at his friend for a moment before one corner of his mouth turned up in a smirk. He nodded, "Definitely."

Over the next few days that the games took place, Sora and Riku kept trying different ideas that they worked out the night before to make Cloud laugh.

On the first day's break, they tried a parody of Sora's encounters with Sephiroth. Yuffie laughed, Tifa chuckled, Leon grinned, but Cloud looked shocked and slightly disturbed.

On the second day's break, the boys tried a land version of a song and dance routine Sora had learned in Atlantica. Yuffie's eyes were watering, Tifa and Leon were holding their sides, but Cloud looked stunned. Although Sora could have sworn the blonde man was checking out Riku at a few points…of course, he was notably more graceful than Sora was.

On the third say's break, they tried a comedy routine wherein they pretended to have some confusion over the names of various Blitzball players, which Sora had seen a couple performers do at a carnival once. Yuffie and Tifa were laughing by the end, Leon was even chuckling, but Cloud looked more confused than anything.

The boys even tried giving an impromptu mock-dramatic, teary-eyed speech when they won and accepted the trophy for the Platinum Cup. Yuffie and Tifa were cracking up, Leon was laughing, but Cloud merely smiled and shook his head.

"I don't get it!" Sora balled up his fists and stomped a foot, Riku never truly noticed the similarities between Sora and Roxas before. "Why can't the man just laugh? It's good to laugh! You're _supposed _to laugh once in a while! You had better not turn out like that, Riku! It's not right! Why doesn't he laugh?"

"Don't worry Sora, we can try again later," said Riku, patting his friend's arm as the boy calmed down. The silver-haired boy noted that he preferred Sora's outbursts to Roxas' ones…Sora tented to burn out his anger much more quickly and with decidedly less violence. "This was just a bunch of stuff we pulled out of our arses anyway."

"Yeah," replied Sora, still looking decidedly put out. "He was just too busy wishing he was pulling something else out of _your _arse to pay attention."

Riku's eyes widened slightly as his cheeks took on a lovely pale rose colour, Meanwhile, Yuffie had collapsed in hysterics, Tifa and Leon were cracking up, and, much to the teens' confusion and delight, Cloud was laughing…although they suspected that not all of the red in his face was due to merriment.


	61. Awakening

_Prompt: Awakening_

_Given by: Rosalyn Angel_

_Setting: Radiant Garden, Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None _

_Author's note: Anyone remember __Pulse__? Well here is the explanation a few people wanted._

* * *

Leon sat in a small chair, watching the silver-haired boy as he slept. Aerith had gone to her own room long before, clearly exhausted from the effort she had put into healing the boy. Cloud had gone to get Zack and Reno before heading back to the Depths to see if Sephiroth had remained there. The former SOLDIER did not believe the silver-haired man would die from his injuries. Leon believed him.

Leon had gone over the scene repeatedly in his mind, but still could not figure it out. Why had Riku been anywhere near Sephiroth? Had they been fighting? What had caused so much damage?

The scarred man was pulled from his thoughts by a soft moan. Riku was blinking as if his eyes were adjusting to the light. When the boy tried to sit up, Leon placed his hands on the teens shoulders to still him.

Instead of trying to take in his surroundings, as the Leon would have, Riku merely stared into Leon's eyes for a moment before settling down.

"What happened?" Riku's voice was weak.

Leon blinked. "You're asking _me_? I took a break at the Bailey, saw a flash of light out by the Depths along with a sound like the worst thunderstorm you can imagine happening in a few seconds, and then found you and Sephiroth unconscious and on opposite sides of a crater where a cliff used to be. Explain before I throttle you."

Riku slowly sat up before breaking eye contact for the first time since he had woken. "I was out there to think, you know? …Just to be alone for a little while. Sephiroth came and just started talking to me…saying that the time had come for my awakening and calling me 'Little Brother'. I don't know what he was talking about but he was freaking me out so I tried to leave, but he stopped me."

"He called you 'Little Brother'?" Leon asked. He could not help but think that the title might not be an honorary one. However, that could be figured out later. "How did he try to stop you? Riku, what happened?"

The boy sighed, "We fought. It didn't seem like it was ever going to end. Then, he started using the darkness…I couldn't…" Riku swallowed and then met Leon's eyes again. "Mickey said I had an unusual blend of light of darkness; that they both work within me, so I decided to try using the light the way I usually do the darkness, and it worked, but…"

The boy's eyes shifted to the side and he appeared to be seeing something very far away.

Leon tightened his hands on Riku's shoulders, "But what? Do you remember?"

Riku nodded. "It looked like he was building some sort of ultra Dark Aura, so I did the same thing with light, but when they met, they seemed to just grow…I could feel the energy just being drained from me, but I couldn't stop it. Then there was that flash you mentioned, and I was flying back…everything hurt for a second and then I blacked out. What happened to Sephiroth?"

"Cloud checked him while I was making sure you were still alive," answered Leon, glad that the kid had not willingly taken on Sephiroth by himself, but still not feeling much better by the explanation. "He said he was alive. I told him to leave them there while I brought you here."

"Where is here, by the way?" asked Riku.

"Aerith's house," answered Leon, realising the boy had probably never been in either of the bedrooms before. "She healed you…she's resting now. It seemed to take a lot out of her."

Riku looked a little ashamed, but did not address it. Instead, he asked, "Where are Cloud and Sephiroth now?"

"Cloud was determined to go after Sephiroth," stated Leon. "I convinced him to take Zack and Reno with him. I'm sure you realise now that Sephiroth isn't exactly your normal adversary."

Riku nodded, "What do you think about what he said?"

"About your awakening and calling you 'Little Brother'?" questioned Leon, which was answered with another small nod. The scarred man sighed. "What do you know about your parents from before you were born?"

"That they found out they couldn't have kids shortly after getting married and sort of adopted me," answered the boy flatly.

"Sort of?" repeated Leon; "What does that mean?"

"It means there aren't any documents to indicate that I was born on the islands, which is odd for how small the islands are, and that the adoptions papers themselves are more of…a receipt," Riku's voice wavered a little at the end. Leon wondered if it was due to weakness or nervousness.

"They bought you?" Leon's voice came out flat, but with an angry edge that he regretted right away.

Teal eyes narrowed slightly and Riku's voice was very defensive as he spoke. "Adoption is expensive and my parents couldn't afford it. Besides, we don't have an orphanage where kids are taken care of like you do here. The islands are too small for it I guess, so who knows where I would have ended up if they hadn't. Anyway, I don't think-"

"Riku, stop, I didn't mean it to sound that way," said Leon. "I didn't think about how things might be different where you come from. But that doesn't help to disprove what Sephiroth seems to think about you."

Riku sighed and looked away again. "I'm sorry I went off…It's just…"

"I understand," Leon interrupted. "That must be a pretty big shock."

Riku turned his eyes back to Leon. "Cloud is going to hate me, isn't he?"

Leon really did not want to answer that. The boy had just seemed to feel as though he fit in here. Leon knew that he and Cloud had a large part to do with that security. "He's going to be upset and probably angry and he's going to direct that at you at first. He won't hate you though. Why don't you let me tell him? I know how to handle him better than you do."

Riku nodded slowly, "Whatever you think is best."

That gave Leon pause. He knew the kid looked up to him, but he had not realised that he trusted him so much…The boy did not seem to trust easily and Leon could not fault him for that. "He'll come around eventually."

Leon wanted to say that they did not even know if there was truly anything to overcome yet anyway, but he knew the boy did not believe that anymore than he did.

Riku offered him a weak smile. "Thanks Leon."

Leon offered his own small smile back. "You need to get some more rest."

"Will you stay…just until I fall asleep?" asked Riku, looking away. Leon guessed he was still a little embarrassed to ask that.

"Yeah…I'll stay." Leon leaned back in to the chair to wait for the boy to fall asleep.

He was still there when Riku woke up.


	62. Colour Blind

_Prompt: Colour-blind_

_Given by: Rosalyn Angel_

_Setting: The World That Never Was, Pre-KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Riku stood at the edge of a skyscraper in the dark world, looking out over the city…waiting.

A small smirk touched his lips at the thought. It did not matter that the world was dark and he technically was not watching anything…the blindfold across his eyes proved that.

He had discovered that his hearing and, oddly enough, sense of smell, along with a sense that he could not quite describe filled in for his eyesight quite easily. He knew the layout of the dark city like the back of his hand, could battle even more heartless than before, and could identify people at a fair distance without actually having to 'see' anything.

The only thing his other senses could not fill in to his mind was colour.

He could tell shapes and sizes, textures, and tell by scent whether someone or something was predominately dark or light in origin, but he did not know what colour anything was.

He was surprised to find what a difference that made. How much he missed looking up to see which shade of blue the sky had taken or how he longed to see the soft silver of the moon at night. He never realised how many times he glanced down at his own body while moving from one battle to another, determining the amount of damage by how red the blood flowing from his was, instead of relying on how he felt.

This world without colour was detached and lonesome. Riku had heard his mother and Sora's discussing what colour each room should be painted when he and his mother moved into a little house of their own after living in a small, white apartment for so long. He had also heard Kairi's mother discussing 'moods' and 'tones' with a decorator when she 'felt like something different' in the mayor's home. He had not realised at that time that the choices could make a room feel warm and welcoming or cold and uninviting.

His colour-blind mind seemed only to produce shades of grey as it told it what his other senses were reporting.

Although, once in a while he saw an odd colour when different people were near him…not that he spent time around people, but he could often 'see' these colours just as he caught their scents.

DiZ was a dark maroon.

Naminè was a pale yellow.

Sora, even behind the glass of the odd chamber, was a bright blue.

Cloud was a deep purple.

These were the only touches of colour in his new world of cold grey.

When an echo of blue began to approach with a scent like a cheap imitation of the sun against warm sand and a feel of cool darkness, Riku stopped thinking about his world's lack of colour.

Soon, he would be glad not to see as teal turned amber, silver faded to grey, and alabaster skin bronzed over.


	63. Relief

_Prompt: Relief_

_Given by: Rosalyn Angel_

_Setting: Virtual Twilight Town, KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Roxas had once whished for much more grand things…at least, he _must _have. He found the harder he tried to remember the details of his childhood, the fuzzier they became.

The blonde teen wondered why that was, why only now felt real…but did it?

The boy ran a hand through his spiky hair in frustration. His memories were fading, but those dreams were becoming richer, more vibrant.

If was as if he were being replaced by someone else.

He did not want to be someone else. He was Roxas. Best friend of Hayner; Tormentor of Siefer... everyone in this town knew him. He was _Roxas_.

He slammed his bedroom door behind him.

It was not just the dreams anymore either. He could swear he heard voices speaking sometimes…discussing him and some sort of restoration. …And he knew a man was there that day at the station. The same man he had accidentally hit with that stick earlier that day.

Something was odd about that man, and not just the fact that he was wearing a long black coat with the hood hiding his face on a hot summer's day. There was something so _wrong _about the man…as if he was not supposed to be there, as if he was supposed to be someone else. Yet, there was also something so _right _about the man, like a lighthouse calling the ships home at the beach he was supposed to have gone to that day.

Something was going on, and Roxas did not like it…_not_…_one_…_bit_.

What were those creatures he saw? Why had no one else seen them? Why did this all seem to be happening around _him_?

Who were these people whose names came so easily to him, even though he was sure he had never met them. Axel. Sora. Donald. Goofy. Naminè. DiZ. Ansem. _Riku_…

…And what _the hell _was a Keyblade anyway?

Roxas threw his shirt across the room with far more force than was necessary before yanking his nightshirt over his spiked head.

He knew that even in sleep, he would not find the simple relief he now longed for more than anything…and everyday he grew more furious by it. Strangely enough, the longing, the frustration, and the anger felt more natural than the unruffled exterior he had a few days ago.

He wondered why that was as he kicked his pants across the room to lay by his shirt. He did not think he had been an angry child but then, he really would not know anymore.

He looked around his room, which just felt _off_, with its bright, cool colours, and the stars and moons decorating the space. It did not feel like _his _room anymore.

With his jaw set so hard his teeth hurt, Roxas ripped the blanket from his bed in one swift movement.

At this point, he just wanted to _know _what was happening. He no longer cared what the answers were; whether they were good or bad, he just wanted to _know_. He felt a fresh wave of a habitual anger when he realised just how _familiar _that thought was.

Was _this _him? Was the angry, frustrated persona that simply wanted to know who he was the _real _Roxas? If so, then when had he turned into the neutral, bland person he had become?

As his thoughts dwindled like a fragile bond of flames, which his half-dosed mind vaguely recalled snuffing out before, Roxas fell into sleep…where even in dreams, he would not find relief.


	64. Underage

_Prompt: Underage_

_Given by: JesusRocks!!!_

_Setting: Radiant Garden, Pre-KHII_

_Pairing: (Implied & One-sided) Leon/Riku _

* * *

Leon watched as the silver-haired boy sparred with Cloud. Even blindfolded, Riku's movements were quick and graceful. Watching the two fight was almost hypnotic.

Leon called out a suggestion to the boy, which would have sounded more like an order to anyone else, but the two of them knew the difference. Before the words had finished passing his lips the boy had already begun to follow them.

The child had grown, in mind and body, since the time he had first arrived in Radiant Garden, speaking of a mutual friend that they all shared, but no one else seem to be able to remember this other boy. Although Leon could vaguely recall someone telling him about a boy named Riku before he met the silver-haired teen.

Riku came and went at no particular intervals, he was busy doing something to save the boy no one could remember and trying to learn to develop and control his own powers. Leon had heard about a Keyblade and the chosen wielders before, but even that had not prepared him for some of the silver-haired boy's unique and powerful skills.

Never the less, Leon had decided to try to help the boy. The child needed guidance and it clearly was important for not only him, but the worlds as well, that Riku learn to utilise his exceptional abilities.

What Leon had not expected, was the attachment that had formed between them. He had somehow become a sort of mentor to the boy, and the child was growing increasingly fonder of him.

He understood that after all the boy had gone through, it was probably difficult to find people to whom he could grow an attachment with. He had matured too much over the past several months to connect with anyone his own age, yet these endurances had also set him behind socially in some areas, so he could not fully relate to the adults around him either. Leon supposed that he and Cloud were the perfect people for Riku to bond to; however, he had expected the youth to get closer to Cloud. They had met first, and Cloud was more comfortable with that sort of familiarity.

Yet, it was Leon who the boy went to when he needed assistance, or simply support. It was Leon who offered his home to the boy when he stayed in Radiant Garden. It was Leon who spent half the night out, starring at the moon and worrying about the boy when he was gone fulfilling his duties as the master of the Keyblade or as the best friend of a boy no one else remembered.

Leon had been unprepared for the attachment, but even that failed in comparison to his surprise at the recent attraction he felt for the teenager. Even now, he found his eyes moving over the pale, svelte body with an entirely inappropriate form of appreciation.

Leon knew it was wrong on so many levels, but he truly could not help it. He tried to talk himself out of the infatuation (for that must be what it was) repeatedly. Riku was a boy and Leon had never been attracted to males before. Riku was in a delicate position already and the last thing he needed was _this _added to everything else he had to deal with. Riku had also put Leon in a position of trust that was very rare for the boy; the scarred man could not risk damaging that trust. Cloud undoubtedly felt a strong attraction to the boy as well and he was one of Leon's best friends. Most importantly, Riku was underage.

Despite all of this, the dark-haired man still felt an inexplicable connection to the boy. Leon smirked as he realised Riku had been right when he said he thought that the strange sage known as DiZ, Ansem, Maleficent, and the leader of Organization XIII were fools for thinking that they could understand or control the inner workings of the heart. They truly were unpredictable.

Even as Leon reminded himself that there were some lines that should never be crossed, he realised that he had already crossed them. When he approached Riku to speak with him he would tuck the boy's long silver hair behind his ear, or otherwise simply stroke it. He constantly placed his hand on the small of the boy's back, his shoulder, his slender waist, or even his thigh when they were sitting. He and Riku stood closer to each other then they did anyone else, and the boy had a small smile that he offered only to Leon.

That caused the scarred man to alter the direction of his thoughts. He had not considered before that Riku might have the same feelings toward him. Clearly the boy was more attached to and comfortable with him, as Riku would not fail to step away or even start if anyone else put their hands on him in such a way. He also was more open with Leon, and there was that smile. However, that only meant that there was a certain intimacy between them, and intimacy did not have to be sexual or even romantic.

The boy had actually never laid eyes on Leon, always wearing that blindfold. So any attraction Riku felt toward the dark-haired man was much purer than what Leon felt, although Leon was pleased that his attraction to the boy was not entirely physical either.

Riku was one of the few people Leon knew who was just as determined as he was to set things right. Neither cared how they fared in the grand scheme of things, they just wanted to help and defend their friends… friends they both felt they had failed before. The boy also had a stillness to him that was unique and he was rather quiet, even when he spoke. Many considered Leon stoic, but Riku seemed to be able to read his emotions, even while blindfolded. Likewise, no one else could tell what the boy was feeling (Leon suspected the blindfold had something to do with that or vice versa) but the scarred man always could. Riku also had a very similar sense of humour to Leon's own.

As they walked home together and Cloud parted ways with Leon and Riku, the scarred man found his hand on the boy's slight waist once again…and once again, Riku made no motion to change that. Leon began to wonder if he could simply allow this relationship to develop naturally, with any semblance of conscience.

The blindfolded boy moved around Leon's house with a familiarity that implied he either had spent a fair amount of time there or had put in an effort to memorise the dwelling as they prepared, ate, and cleaned up after dinner that evening. Leon could not deny that the boy fit into his life perfectly.

When Riku offered Leon one of the small smiles that seemed to be exclusively his before going to bed, the scarred man had reacted by placing a chaste kiss on the boy's temple. Neither seemed to have any displeasure with the contact as Riku leaned his head against Leon's chest and the scarred man's arms wrapped around the boy.

Leon knew he would have to decide whether this relationship would remain chaste or become amatory in the morning, but that evening, he felt completely at peace.


	65. Beautiful

_Prompt: Beautiful_

_Given by: JesusRocks!!!_

_Setting: Destiny Islands, Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Kairi took the popcorn off the stove once it had finished popping as Penelo grabbed some sodas from the refrigerator and Selphie picked a movie from the Ban's collection.

"So when are your parents coming back from the mainland?" Penelo asked Kairi as the two girls left the kitchen.

"Tomorrow night," answered the auburn-haired girl. "Why don't we watch that in my room?"

"Okay," answered Selphie as she joined her friends in the hall with her selections.

All three girls changed into their pyjamas and settled on Kairi's large bed as the first film started.

"Hey, that guy sort of looks like Zack," said Kairi.

"Who?" questioned Selphie.

"One of the guys at Radiant Garden," answered the auburn-haired girl. "Only Zack has violet eyes and his hair is layered differently."

"Really? He sounds pretty easy on the eyes," remarked the hyperactive brunette.

"Are you kidding?" Kairi responded. "Everyone on the world is beautiful; I swear there's something in the water."

"Huh, I think it would get dull if everyone looked pretty much the same," said Penelo.

"Oh no," Kairi corrected; "They each have a different sort of beauty."

The blonde nodded but Selphie looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Kairi and Penelo shared an, _is she serious_, look before turning to their friend.

"Well," Kairi began, "You know how Sora is more cute where as Riku is definitely pretty?"

Both of the other girls nodded, giving looks that clearly said _it figures_.

"So what kinds of beautiful people are all of the others?" asked Selphie, the film on the television long forgotten now as all three girls shifted to face each other, sodas in hand and popcorn bowl sitting in the middle of the bed.

"Okay, well you've heard Sora, Riku, and I talk about Leon, right?" Kairi stated more than asked.

"Of course," said Penelo. "He's pretty much the leader over there from what I've heard."

"That's him," said Kairi with a nod. "He's your classic tall, dark, and handsome type of beauty, except he has a bit of the bad-boy thing going on too."

"Ooh, he sounds nice," commented Selphie.

"He is, but he's like 26 and he claims to be straight, but I have to wonder with the way he gets with Riku sometimes," responded the auburn-haired girl.

"I think Riku somehow overrides gender preferences," commented Penelo, which the other girls nodded to after thinking for a moment.

"Okay, who else is there?" asked Selphie. "Guys I mean, we've talked about all the girls already. They sound nice and all, but, you know."

"I get you," said Kairi with an assuring nod before continuing. "Well Cid is the oldest that I know of, he's in his forties somewhere, and he's king of gruff-looking and foul mouthed, but he has a soft spot for the group and he tends to try to keep an eye out for the younger ones without them noticing, so he's got more of an endearing beauty to him."

"That's nice," said Penelo. "What about this Cloud guy Riku's mentioned?"

"Oh yeah!" exclaimed Selphie, "Tell about Riku's knight in shining armour."

Kairi rolled her eyes. "You guys know those are just rumours, but I'll say this much, there's a solid base to them. Anyway, Cloud has that brooding, emo type of beauty. He's almost like a kicked puppy that you want to cuddle just to see him perk up a little."

"It figures Riku would attract him," remarked Penelo; Selphie giggled as Kairi nodded.

"So he's questionable too?" asked Selphie with a small pout.

"No, he's admittedly bi," said Kairi. "Let's see, there's also Reno. He's got more of a laid-back, punk-ish sort of beauty…he hooks up with some of the strangest women though…"

"What about Tifa's boyfriend?" asked Penelo, and then she added, "Didn't you say his partner's name was Reno?"

"Yeah, it's the same Reno," Kairi confirmed. "Rude is the big, strong, and silent type. Tifa says he's actually really sweet and smart when you get to know him, but I mean the guy talks less than Riku in a crowd."

"Wow, he's really the silent type," commented Selphie.

"What about that other guy Riku's mentioned a couple of times?" asked Penelo, "I think he said he was another friend of Cloud's?"

"That's Vincent," said Kairi. "He's the dark and mysterious type of beauty. He has a bit of a gothic look to him too, and he seems somewhat pensive all the time. I guess he lost his girlfriend or wife during everything that happened. He stays in Traverse Town with his friend Reeve now, but they've come back to check the place out from time to time."

"Oh, that's sad," said Selphie.

"At least he has his friends to help to through it," commented Penelo.

"Yeah, he seems to be doing alright," said Kairi.

"What about this Reeve guy?" asked Selphie.

"He's the intellectual, stylized type," responded Kairi.

"What about Leon's roommate?" asked Penelo.

"Zell?" said Kairi thoughtfully. "He's more of the crisp, fresh type of beauty…you know?"

"Yeah," said Penelo as Selphie nodded enthusiastically.

"I don't think you've mentioned anyone else," commented Selphie.

"Er…well, there's Gippal," said Kairi, "But I don't really know him. I've only seen him around. He's got sort of a cocky rogue sort of beauty to him though."

"Wait, didn't Sora say something about three male pixies with silver hair once?" asked Selphie.

"Yeah, but neither Sora nor I actually saw them," said Kairi. "Riku helped Leon get rid of them when they were causing problems in the computer room once."

The girls continued chatting and half-paying attention to the film through the night.

The next day they would randomly break into giggles whenever Sora mentioned any of his friends from Radiant Garden. Sora and Riku exchanged some glances, but decided they really did not want to know.


	66. Bowchicawowow

_Prompt: Bowchicawowow_

_Given by: JesusRocks!!!_

_Setting: Radiant Garden, Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None _

* * *

"Yo, Pops," Reno greeted as he approached Cid.

"You call me that again and I'll put this out in your damned forehead, got it?" The older man held up his half-finished cigarette without looking away from his computer screen.

"Yeesh, yeah, I got it," answered the Turk as ran a hand through his hair. "Anyway, the fearless leader said to get a move on those blueprints of the waterworks."

"I'm getting to it," grumbled the Gummi pilot. "He better get that bug out of his ass soon…at least Jailbait's got part of the issue solved."

"What the hell are you on about?" asked Reno.

"Don't you ever pay attention?" Cid responded around his cigarette. "The orphanage is having some major issues with funding, healthcare, and housing. Leon's trying to get the old castle restored so we can turn it into the new orphanage, but first we actually need to get the damn thing up and running again."

"…And what about the pretty boy?" questioned Reno.

"Jailbait can do this spell that works better then the strongest health potion," explained Cid with the air of someone who felt like they were explaining something that should be known already. "The orphanage has a bunch of sick kids right now, but they can't afford to buy all the health potions they need, and no one can afford to give them as much as they need. So, Jailbait keeps going over there and healing as many of the brats as he can until he runs out of energy. Stupid little bastard pushed it until he passed out yesterday. At this rate, he'll be done in another day or so."

"So basically they need Munny, yo," stated Reno. "That way, they can pay more people to work on the castle and they can store some potions so pretty boy doesn't kill himself performing miracles the next time the little carrier monkey's spread something."

"Isn't that what I just said?" asked Cid before mumbling something in which the words _shit for brains _was all Reno could distinguish.

"You know," said Reno slowly, as though he were thinking as he spoke. "You could probably make some money off that kid."

"He's not gonna charge anyone to heal them, ya idiot," muttered Cid.

"No, but nearly everyone in this town wouldn't mind get a piece of that ass," replied the redhead. "You could arrange it, yo. Leonhart would kill anyone who touched pretty boy and Cloud would kick the kid's ass before letting him do it."

Cid blinked and turned to meet the Turk's eyes for the first time since he entered. "You're saying I should whore the kid out? That has got to be one of the most fucked up things I've heard come out of you yet."

"It's for a good cause, and you have to admit, it would pay off," countered Reno. "Besides, I'm not saying you should put him in stilettos and fishnets and have him walk down the street like _bowchicawowow _or anything; you could be discreet about it."

"First of all," interrupted Cid, lightning a new cigarette, "You do that little bowchicawowow jig in front of me again and I'm tossing your ass out of here. Secondly, even if you talked me into this asinine idea, what makes you think Jailbait would go for it?"

"Guilt, yo," answered Reno with a shrug, as if it were obvious. "The kid feels like crap about his part in everything that happened last year. Now you and I know he didn't have nearly as much control over it as he beats himself up about, but _he _doesn't, so between _that _and the fact that it's for the orphanage, I'm sure we can guilt trip him into agreeing. Besides, pretty boy looks up to you more than you think; you're like, Uncle Cid or something, he'd never expect you to steer him wrong."

"I stand corrected," said the Gummi pilot. "_That _is the most fucked up thing I've ever heard come out of you." Reno rolled his eyes as the older man took a swig of his tea. "You suggest anything like this again, and I'm gonna beat the living shit out of you…and if you go anywhere near Jailbait, I'm siccing Leon and Spiky on your sorry ass. Got it?"

"Fine, fine…no need to get bent out of shape about it, yo," said Reno as he raised his hands in surrender. "I'll tell the fearless leader you'll be a minute with those blueprints, okay?"

"Yeah, you do that," muttered Cid. "Can't believe you think I'm going to hand that kid to some pervert to take home like a damned stray…Shit, it's gonna take all day to get that damn mental image out of my head."

Reno chuckled as he walked to the door, "Whatever, yo. I was just trying to help."

"Well, don't try to come up with any more bright ideas," the older man responded before yelling after the Turk, "And send Jailbait back here when he's done today."

Reno grinned as he imagined the heart-to-heart Cid would attempt to have with the kid. He out right laughed when he imagined the look in the boy's face as Cid tried telling him to respect himself more before some pervert picked him off.


	67. Eggs

_Prompt: Eggs_

_Given by: Vash's Girl_

_Setting: Destiny Islands, KHI beginning_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Sora joined his friends by the raft as Riku was sealing the wood and Kairi was packing their food stores.

"I brought the eggs," said Sora, holding up a couple seagull eggs.

"Eggs?" repeated Riku, looking up from his work.

"I'm packing the food silly," Kairi responded.

"Er…Kairi?" Riku began as he looked at the ice chest she was packing. "Aren't you planning on smoking those fish and hard boiling those eggs?"

"Ew, I hate smoked fish," said Kairi, scrunching her nose. "And Sora prefers his eggs scrambled."

"Yeah, I know all of that," answered Riku slowly, "But, how were you planning on cooking them on the raft?"

"Well, obviously I was planning on scrambling the seagull eggs," stated Kairi, "And Don't we usually fry the fish we catch?"

"Okay, I meant 'how' as in how are you going to light a fire and then proceed to cook on the raft," said Riku, whose own nose wrinkled slightly as he added, "And did you just say seagull eggs?"

"Yeah," I just found them," Sora supplied with a smile.

"…And where did you get them from?" asked Riku.

"From the trees they usually lay…" Sora trailed off before his own nose scrunched up as he turned to Kairi. "Gross, Kairi, you were gonna have us eat baby seagulls!"

"What?" the girl asked, with a mirrored look of disgust.

"If he found the eggs in a nest, then the odds are, they're fertilised," explained Riku.

"Ew, I didn't of that when I asked him to find the eggs," said Kairi as she looked at the offending eggs.

"I'm gonna go put these back," said Sora as he picked up the eggs again.

"Good idea," Kairi agreed. "Why don't you bring a couple more fish instead?"

"Okay, I'll see if I can find some more mushrooms too," offered Sora.

"We're going to have to prepare the food so it won't make us sick and so that it will keep longer Kairi," said Riku.

"Oh, okay." Kairi shrugged and started taking the food back out of the cooler.

"Er…Kairi?" said Riku as he watched her do this.

"Yeah?" replied the girl.

"I think we're going to want to pack more food than that," Riku supplied gently; "Just in case we're on the sea for longer than a few days."

"Okay," agreed Kairi easily. "I can bring a box of granola from home too."

"That's a good idea," said Riku, clearly trying not to laugh at his friend. "I'll bring some dried apricots. Our tree is overflowing with the things at home."

"That sounds good," Kairi smiled. "We should bring some more water then too."

"I'll get that," Riku offered. "I'm going to go find Sora."

"Okay," answered Kairi. "I'll start getting the fish ready then."

Riku nodded as he inwardly decided he was _really _going to have to keep a close eye on his friends during this journey.


	68. Rain

_Prompt: Rain_

_Given by: Vash's girl_

_Setting: The World That Never Was, Pre-KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Riku stood close the building's entrance, utilising the little protection it could offer from the elements as he listened, and smelled, and sensed his surroundings.

He was already soaked from the rain that seemed to fall more often than not in this place and his hair, as well as the ties from his blindfold, was dancing in the crosswinds.

He sensed the non-being approaching a moment before he caught the scent of darkness, surprisingly not as strong as the others of his kind carried, combined with a warm, musky scent that Riku related to a campfire on the beach. It was several moments before he could hear the footsteps approaching over the patter of the rain.

"You know, it rains a lot in this world," said a male voice that sounded light and firm at the same time.

The Nobody probably appeared to be nearly ten years older than Riku, the teen mused, and was probably more than half a head taller. Somehow, he did not sound or feel very threatening.

Riku nodded, not actually turning to face the Nobody. It was not as if he was going to look at him anyway.

"You've changed," the Nobody said with an oddly wistful tone. "I guess that was bound to happen."

Riku shifted, not sure how to react to this. "You were there…You're his best friend…" He was not sure where the last statement came from, but he knew it was true as the words passed his lips.

"Right on both counts," said Axel, sounding slightly impressed; "And you're _his_ best friend."

Riku nodded again.

There was a slight pause wherein Riku could feel the Nobody's eyes move over him. "You've really changed. You were less quiet and cockier before. You've grown too"

"Why are you here?" asked Riku quietly, but he knew the other was paying closer attention than his casual demeanour suggested.

"I guess I wanted to get a feel of the competition," answered the Nobody.

"We aren't competing," Riku stated firmly.

"No, I suppose not," Axel agreed, "But we both can't win, can we?"

"Technically, yes, but no…not really," answered Riku.

"That's why you beat Zexion," stated the Nobody. "You're wiser than he gave you credit for. He thought you were all skill after you defeated Lexaeus."

"You don't sound very upset about any of that," commented Riku.

Riku could hear a sudden shift beside him, as if the statement had surprised Axel. "You just saved me some trouble in the long run." There was another, lighter shifting sound, and Riku guessed the Nobody shrugged.

"You aren't like the others," Riku remarked.

Axel chuckled once, "That's the truth."

Riku shivered slightly as the wind picked up and crossed his arms over his chest. He wanted to wrap them around himself, but was not about to give that much away with Axel present.

"If you're going to spend a lot of time here, you really are gonna need a coat," stated the Nobody just before Riku felt something warm and heavy draped over his shoulders.

The coat was little too big, and would expose more of Riku's chest and shoulders than it did on its owner, but it was a welcomed warmth in this dank world. "Thanks," Riku said as he slid his arms into the too-long sleeves.

There was another soft chuckle beside him. "You're gonna want to get that hemmed somewhere," remarked the Nobody.

One corner of Riku's mouth turned up at the teasing. It almost felt like having a friend again. They stood side by side, listening or watching the rain in a surprisingly companionable silence for a while.

"I need to go," Riku stated after an unknown amount of time had passed. He could sense morning coming, even though he doubted there was a sunrise in this world. "Good luck with your friend."

"Yeah," Axel almost sighed the word out, "You too."

They walked out into the rain together and turned to face each other briefly before each nodded and turned his own way.

It was not a truce, because it was not a competition…and either would die before giving up anyway.


	69. Pillow

_Prompt: Pillow_

_Given by: Vash's Girl_

_Setting: Radiant Garden, Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None; Implied Pre-Leon/Riku_

* * *

Riku did not say anything as he heard Leon enter the room. He made no sounds as the man climbed into the bed he was currently in, curled into himself tightly. He did not protest at all when a pair of strong arms pulled him away from his tearstained pillow and turned him before pulling him against a firm chest.

Leon did not have to pass the small guestroom Riku was presently occupying in order to reach his own bedroom, and the silver-haired teen knew he had not been making enough noise to draw the man's attention. Leon normally did not have much physical contact with others, and Riku wondered if the man missed it as much as he did sometimes; if that was why he was holding him so tightly now. However, he could find out why the man had come in the morning. For now, his presence was a welcomed comfort and the boy just curled up against him.

Leon did not say anything when he looked into the room and saw the boy clutching his pillow and sobbing silently. He made no sounds as he climbed into bed with the shivering teen and pulled the boy close, cradling him. He did not protest at all when the boy pressed a tearstained face into his chest and curled up in his arms.

Riku had not given any indication that something was wrong all day, yet Leon had felt the unexplainable need to check on the boy, to know that he was all right. Riku normally had no physical contact with anyone, and Leon wondered if the boy actually longed for that comfort, that reminder of his own physical presence, as the boy clung to him as if he were a lifeline. However, he could find out what was troubling the boy in the morning. For now, the slight weight in his arms and the slightly smaller body curled against him was enough of an answer.

That night, they both slept better than either could remember having done before.


	70. Sharpie

_Prompt: Sharpie_

_Given by: Alias in Shadow_

_Setting: Destiny Islands, Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Riku was laying on his bed, deep in thought, and twirling a single obsidian feather between his slender fingers; the dark plume in sharp contrast to his alabaster skin.

That is what gave him the idea.

He sat up and slowly opened the top drawer of his undersized bedside table before carefully removing a small, thin photo album.

He opened it a few pages in, to a very special and unique photo wherein a young man with shoulder length silver hair, fair skin, and sea green eyes stood shirtless with a nearly one-year-old little boy of nearly identical colouring cradled in one arm.

It was the only photograph that Riku had of his father.

The resemblance between his father and the man he had seen was uncanny…but he really wanted to be sure.

Reaching beside him without taking his eyes off the photo, the teal-eyed boy grabbed a pencil box that was lying on top of the bedside table alongside a sketchbook. He opened it in his lap, underneath the album, and took out a black sharpie.

Riku placed the tip of the writing utensil to the album's protective plastic sleeve and began to draw a long black coat over his father's bare torso as well as his infant self. He left the coat open enough to expose most of the chest, and drew in two straps that crossed over the uncovered area. Finally, he drew in two black wings.

Setting the sharpie aside, Riku continued to stare at the altered figure. He imagined the hair longer; the face aged fifteen years, and the pupils of the beautiful eyes as slits instead of circles.

It was undoubtedly the same man.

The silver-haired teen leaned his head back to rest against the wall and squeezed his beautiful teal eyes shut.

He wondered how he was ever supposed to explain to his friends that one of their greatest enemies was his father.

…And that he did not want him to die.


	71. Crossroads

_Prompt: Crossroads_

_Given by: Alias in Shadow_

_Setting: Sora/The World That Never Was; KHII final level (That will all make sense once you read it)_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Roxas did not understand what was happening.

Once he met Sora in that chamber…in that world…once he became a part of him…he must have ceased to be, but then…he _felt _something.

He wondered why he was suddenly feeling something that his Other was not. He thought they were supposed to be one whole, singular being now.

The feeling persisted.

It was an unbearable pain that he could not remember feeling before. A pain that filled every part of him that _was _him…

He had felt something slightly similar, only much weaker, when he battled Riku…

Roxas realised it was mourning…the sorrow over something lost.

That is when he started becoming aware of Sora; of what his Other was doing…where he was, and who he was with…

_Axel_.

That was what had awoken him from Sora's heart, from his being. That was what was causing this horrendous feeling to swell within him…

Axel was gone.

_Axel was gone…_

Anguish was joined by rage shortly before another thought came to Roxas.

_They would pay._

He thought back to the echo of his current pain, which he felt when he battled Riku.

If Roxas had a mouth, it would be twisted into a pained smirk.

He knew just how to make sure his Other shared his fury…his wrath.

_Oh yes, they would pay._

Roxas remembered Naminé's words from when he was still just a Nobody.

_We will meet again…And then we can talk about everything. I may not know it's you, and you may not know it's me…But we will meet again._

He hoped the same was true for him and Axel; that they would see each other again after this was over.

They did say that they would meet again in the next life.


	72. Connection

_Prompt: Connection_

_Given by: Alias in Shadows_

_Setting: Radiant Garden, Pre-KHII_

_Pairing: None; Implied Leon/Riku_

* * *

Leon was working from, or fighting with as he considered it, Cid's computer again. He understood why the man would want to customise it for his own use but the brunette was really starting to wish there was another one that he could work from during his shifts.

At least there would be someone he wanted to see there when he got home that night.

"Good," said a voice from the doorway behind him, "I was hoping you'd be here."

Leon turned to face his friend and just stared at him.

"I need to…" Cloud trailed off. "What?"

"What?" repeated the scarred man. "First you disappeared when the world was overcome by Heartless, then Cid brings you back; you stick around for a few months before disappearing again for nearly half a year, and now you just show up and start talking as if I have no reason to react to your sudden presence."

"Sephiroth's back," stated Cloud. "I needed to-"

"Whatever," Leon interrupted, sounding tired before continuing flatly, "What do you want?"

Cloud looked guilty for a moment before his expression turned firm. "Sephiroth returned here about five days ago. I think he's looking for something, but I don't know what that is."

Leon's expression flashed something Cloud did not recognise on his friend's features, he could have sworn it was dread, the kind you feel when you're worried about someone, but that did not make any sense.

Before the blonde could figure it out, Leon's expression had changed and he looked at Cloud stonily. "This is going to sound crazy."

Cloud blinked. Something had changed within his friend since their last parting. He had clearly missed something. "Okay…go on."

"Think back to the last six weeks before you returned here after the Heartless," said Leon. "Are there any gaps where you know something had to have happened, but you can't remember what, or where you suddenly had information or travelled somewhere, but you don't know how or why you did?"

The blonde frowned, "How do you know that?" He had assumed it had something to with Sephiroth's return, but if Leon knew of it…

"Because it's happened to everyone," answered Leon. "A boy arrived here while you were gone this time. He can wield a Keyblade, and he says a friend of his, who also wields a Keyblade, spoke to all of us during that time period, but all of our memories of him have been erased temporarily."

"Erased temporarily?" repeated Cloud.

"According to this boy," continued Leon, "We'll be able to remember at some point, it sounds complicated, but the kid seems to know what to do and is doing everything he can. About the same time that we remember, something similar to the whole Heartless ordeal is probably going to occur, but that's not why I'm telling you this."

Cloud blinked again. He had definitely missed something. "Why _are _you telling me this then?"

"Because Riku, -that's the boy's name-," explained Leon, "Arrived again the day before Sephiroth."

"You think there's a connection?" questioned Cloud.

"You haven't seen Riku," responded Leon. Then, he looked at Cloud with another expression that made no sense to his friend. It was the look he got when he was determined to defend something…or someone; "And I want you to promise me not to react hastily when you do."

Cloud frowned at his friend, "Why is that?"

"Because I don't want to see you hurt," answered Leon, voice and face steely, "And if he won't fight you, I will."

Cloud looked like he could not decide whether to feel bemused or simply amused by that statement. "You're worried that I might take on the Keyblade's chosen wielder, _and _you're willing to fight me if I attack the kid for some reason and he refuses to fight back? Why would _any _of that happen?"

"You'll understand after I introduce you to Riku," stated Leon.

"Including why you would be willing to fight me over the kid?" asked Cloud.

Leon did not answer. He only stood and walked towards the door. Throwing a "Follow me," over his shoulder.

Cloud followed his friend, glad that some things had not changed about the other man. After a moment, he realised that were going to Leon's house.

"Why don't you just take me to where this Riku kid is?" asked the former SOLDIER.

"I am," replied the brunette.

Cloud glanced at Leon through the side of his eyes. Leon had always liked his privacy. "You're letting him stay with you?"

"While he's here, yes," the scarred man's voice made it clear he did not intend to explain any further right now.

Cloud simply nodded that he understood, as his friend opened the door to his house.

A flash of silver hair, a firm grip on his wrist before he could draw his sword, and a steel-eyed glare, followed in too quick a succession for Cloud to register all the small details in between. What he realised now, was that a boy, not Sephiroth but far too similar in appearance for Cloud's liking, was standing across the room, blindfolded but with a mysterious looking sword held ready…and Leon was standing between them.

"Cloud, this is Riku," stated the brunette before turning to the boy just as the teenager's weapon vanished in a small flash of light. "Riku, this is one of Sora's other friends."

Cloud did not know who Sora was, but that was the last thing he was questioning at the moment. Riku was slender and fair skinned; with a casual elegance and long silver hair, he could easily pass for Sephiroth's child. In addition to that shock, was the way Leon's eyes seemed to soften somewhat as he spoke to the kid while they conversed as if Cloud were not there.

"I think you need to hear about this," the grey-eyed man was stating, "And he needs to know what's happening too…" The boy nodded to Leon, which was odd into itself as he should not be able to see where the man was and yet, his face followed the man as he approached.

Although the blindfolded boy seemed capable of moving around Leon's home unassisted -whether from familiarity or instinct, Cloud could not be sure-, Leon guided him to the sofa gently with a hand to the teen's back.

The former SOLDIER knew there was a connection between the boy's appearance, Sephiroth's return to their home world, the holes in everyone's memories, Leon's strange behaviour, and the mention of this Sora person, but he had no idea how to line all the pieces together.

"All right," Cloud said, sitting on a chair across from his friend and the boy, "Explain."


	73. Dirty Pillows

_Prompt: Dirty Pillows_

_Given by: archy the cockroach_

_Setting: Traverse Town; Post KHII_

_Pairing Tifa/Rude_

* * *

The room was musty and dim, with frayed curtains, dingy windows, and dirty pillows.

Tifa would have wondered how the hotel stayed in business, but with all the refugees that had occupied the world until recently, it probably made enough to last a while still. Of course, she would have put some of that Munny into the place, but that did not really matter.

Rude had finally returned.

She did not care if their reunion took place in a palace or a cheap hotel; you were only reunited with your lost love after an interplanetary disaster once (or so she hoped) and she was going to make it special either way.

Tifa set a bottle of wine in an ice bucket and looked around the small room. With some candles lit and the curtains drawn, the place seemed a little more romantic and less dingy.

Soon she forgot about the state of the room however, as Rude came in, suit perfect, sunglasses in place, and his bald head lustrous in the soft light.

In one hand, he held some gardenias, in the other, some plush thing; but that did not matter because within seconds her arms were around his neck as his wrapped around her waist and their mouths met.

Later, even with clothes and flowers strewn across the dusty floor, water that had been ice overflowing the bucket, and frayed sheets barely covering tangled legs and glistening bodies, Rude offered one of his rare sweet smiles as he ran a hand up her side before pulling her close.

Tifa decided that the room was as beautiful as any palace could ever aspire to be.


	74. Amputation

_Prompt: Amputation_

_Given by: archy the cockroach_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None; Pre-Cloud/Riku_

* * *

Cloud cursed Leon's existence as he hurriedly pulled his pants on. Why the man had to suddenly find his compassionate side and allow the silver-haired boy to stay in the house that they shared (without asking his roommate how he felt about it), the blonde man did not know. 

What he did know, was that he had not meant to yell at the kid. It had been a gut reaction. After all, it was not everyday that someone entered the bathroom while you were exiting the shower, and Cloud was not used to having more people in the house.

Cloud knew he had probably overreacted, his emotions always seem to go haywire around the aqua-eyed boy, but before he could register any of that, the boy had apologised and bolted.

Now the blonde man was towelling off his hair and continuing to curse Leon under his breath as he stormed down the hall after the kid. He reached the door to the spare room and opened it before it occurred to him that he really should have knocked first.

It seemed that Riku, upon finding the bathroom occupied, had decided to change into his pyjamas before brushing his teeth…Cloud vaguely wondered when he had memorised the boy's night time rituals, but his attention was otherwise drawn to the fact that the boy was currently topless, and had froze when Cloud burst into his room.

Considering how thin the boy was, Cloud had not expected him to be quite so muscular, and he certainly did not expect someone from a tropical world to be so fair skinned. Riku was also more curvilinear than Cloud believed most boy's that age were…he had just begun to mentally question the twin scars that wrapped around the boy's waist when time seemed to catch up.

Riku turned, grabbed a t-shirt that was lying on his bed and pulled it on. He determinedly avoided looking at Cloud. "I'm sorry, about that…"

"Yeah," Cloud said, blinking and willing his mind to stay focused. "I'm sorry too, I should have knocked. I just wanted to, well actually I was coming here to apologise."

"For what?" asked Riku, still not looking at the blonde man.

"I shouldn't have reacted so harshly," said Cloud, staring at the boy. "You just caught me by surprise."

"That's fine," Riku hastily replied, still diverting his own eyes. It occurred to Cloud that perhaps he should have thought to put a shirt on himself before coming to speak to the kid.

The former SOLDIER stepped closer to the boy. "I really don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"You don't," said Riku, and Cloud found it odd that he believed him.

The blonde man nodded, not sure what to say but not wanting to leave yet.

Another silence passed this one more comfortable than the last.

"You can sit down if you're staying," Riku said as he sat on his bed and pulled a sketchbook and pencil case towards him.

"Thanks," Cloud sat on the bed as well, with only a couple feet between him and the boy.

Cloud looked around the room. The boy had changed nothing; aside from a few small items lying around, the room might as well have still been empty. When he turned back, he caught a pair of teal eyes darting away from him.

Riku looked a little more thoughtful, so Cloud decided to question it. "What are you wondering?"

"Something that isn't any of my business," replied the teen.

Cloud raised his eyebrows; he was impressed, amused, and intrigued by that response. "Ask anyway. I'll tell you if I don't want to answer."

"How did you get that scar on your back?" asked Riku quietly, meeting Cloud's eyes for the first time. The former SOLDIER could have gotten lost in the swirl of emotions reflected in the teal pools.

Blinking to unfix his gaze, Cloud had to think of what the boy had just asked. Then he remembered the scar by his shoulder blade. "Oh that? It's an amputation scar. I…had a wing removed…"

"You had a wing?" questioned Riku.

"It grew in while I was under contract with Hades," Cloud explained. "I think it was a physical manifestation of the darkness, but I can't really be sure."

The boy looked doubtful. "I never grew a wing."

"You never gave in like I did," replied the blonde man.

The boy looked away. "I did enough…"

Cloud was not sure what to say to that, the boy's story was still largely unknown. The former SOLDIER had a feeling it would remain that way.

"My turn," Cloud said abruptly. "Where did those scars on your waist come from?"

Riku still had not returned his gaze to the man. "I got hurt when Sora and I were fighting Xemnas…the head Nobody."

"Is that what Sora meant when he said you saved him?" asked Cloud, mainly to keep the conversation going. He was pretty sure he knew the answer. "You took the hits to protect him?"

The silver-haired boy nodded; "Yeah…"

"Well," Cloud surprised both Riku and himself by reaching over and sliding up the boy's shirt to expose part of the scars. "Then these are proof that you still have a lot of light left in you. A creature of the darkness wouldn't be willing to die for his friends."

"Nor would he be willing to risk the wrath of a god rather than kill an innocent boy," stated Riku.

Cloud smiled before sweeping his fingers over the exposed strip of pale flesh, causing Riku to give a slight start and release a small gasp as teal eyes snapped toward him, looking, shocked, nervous, and curious.

"I guess I have some hope left for me then," stated the blonde man before standing. "Good night, Riku."

The boy blinked before understanding filled his eyes and he returned the smile. "Good night…Cloud."

Teal eyes did not leave the man as he left the room.


	75. Motorboat

_Prompt: Motorboat_

_Given by: archy the cockroach_

_Setting: Disney Castle; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Mickey/Minnie; Mentioned Donald/Daisy; Implied Leon/Riku; Possible Sora/Kairi_

* * *

It was two days after Donald and Daisy's wedding, but several of the guest had decided to stay; they had never all been together like this without some sort of tragedy occurring, and they were simply enjoying the peacefulness of being with their friends.

Mickey held Minnie's hand as they sat on the grass in the garden; a few streamers lingered in the bushes from the recent event. They were both smiling and watching their guests.

Sora was trying to show Kairi a skateboarding trick on one of the hedges, Aerith was showing a very confused Yuffie how the hedges were trimmed and trained to grow in the shapes they depicted, Leon and Riku were sparring on the other side of the garden, and Cid had disappeared into the garage with Goofy some time before.

Heya, everybody," called Goofy as he walked through the entrance from the Gummi garage. "Come on and see what Cid's made," he added cheerfully.

Sora, Kairi, and Yuffie ran after the dog-creature as he strolled out of the garden's other exit, which lead to the main grounds. Aerith, Mickey, and Minnie walking casually behind them and Leon and Riku walked quickly to catch up from the other side of the garden.

Goofy lead them to the castle moat, where Cid was waiting with Chip and Dale. Behind them, several small, strange-looking boats floated in the water.

"Hey, you made open-cockpit, mini-Gummi boats," said Sora as the neared.

Cid flicked his cigarette, "Yeah, 'cept we call them motorboats to save time."

"Oh," responded the spiky-haired teen, still smiling.

"Well, hop in," stated the Gummi pilot. "They should hold a couple each and I set them up on a track, so there's no need to steer them."

"Cool," said Yuffie as she climbed into one. "Who's coming with me?"

Goofy volunteered cheerfully, and Leon muttered to Riku, "After travelling with Sora and Donald, he can probably handle anyone's company," earning him a chuckle from the teen.

Mickey helped Minnie into one of the motorboats with him, while Aerith carefully climbed into the front one with Cid, and Chip and Dale scurried in with them. Sora hopped in one and then offered a hand to Kairi, meanwhile, Leon and Riku climbed into the last one.

Chip and Dale kept a constant commentary going up front, much to Cid's annoyance and Aerith's amusement.

"Hey, this is almost like a carnival ride, only better," exclaimed Yuffie.

"Yep, all we need are lights and music," agreed Goofy.

Sora and Kairi were chattering non-stop about Gummis and Sora's experiences with them, the castle and its inhabitants, and for some reason, plushies and bishies.

Leon and Riku were speaking quietly and casually in their little motorboat.

"You know what you need to work on next Cid?" called Yuffie from the small boat she shared with Goofy, "Bumper Gummi boats!"

Cid grumbled, "This ain't a damned amusement park, Yuffie, it's the castle of the world."

"Whelp, I don't think a few attractions are going to cause any harm," said Mickey. "Besides, it would you give you guys a reason to hang around longer."

"Like those kids need a reason," said Cid, motioning toward the three islanders. "They're hardly on their home world these days."

"They will be once school starts up again," commented Aerith.

"Aw, did you have to mention that?" whined Sora, causing Kairi to giggle.

Chip and Dale started discussing how they could make the suggested bumper boats, as everyone else continued to enjoy the ride and each other's company.


	76. December

_Prompt: December_

_Given by: xXxChiixXx_

_Setting: Castle Ruins, Radiant Garden, Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

A man with silver hair held the baby in one arm as he wound the small music box on the table. The child released a small squeal of delight at the sound of the key turning…he knew what it meant already.

The child's teal eyes stared in awe as the familiar tune began to issue from the spinning circle of wood. He made no sounds and did not move until the man holding him began to sing quietly along with the tune. Then, he turned to hold his father and slowly fell asleep to the soothing voice…

"Dancing bears,

Painted wings,

Things I almost remember,

And a song someone sings

Once upon a December…"

However, that had been years ago…fifteen to be exact.

…And during those years, his child had been sent away, he had allowed them to go too far with the experiments, he had lost his love, his son, his friends, and his light.

Sephiroth knew he could never become the person he had once been again, just as he could never repent for the pain he had caused so many. Instead, he watched quietly from the shadows…and he was not the only one.

During the events of the past year or so, his son had conquered the darkness that had once cost him -_them_- so much. However, that had come with a price. The teal-eyed boy was subdued and introverted. While the child had become a true master of shadows, much like Sephiroth himself, he had kept his light, but did not seem comfortable around others anymore.

Sephiroth had taken to watching over his son as he felt he should have done long ago, but he could not change that. He had been surprised at first that the boy could not detect his presence, as the silver-haired boy could sense when anyone else was approaching, and normally did not have to look to know whom it was. Sephiroth suspected for a time that their auras to were too similar for the teal-eyed boy to tell the difference. Then one day, the boy had seemed concerned that he was being followed, but ultimately just accepted and ignored the foreign presence. Sephiroth eventually realised that his son was somehow taking comfort in his presence, even though the child could not remember whose presence it was that surrounded him.

Sephiroth found that the teal-eyed boy had lost his mother in the afore mentioned events, and had made several acquaintances (the child could have called them friends if he would only allow himself to) from his parents old home world…_his _old home world, but then, he probably was not aware of that fact. He had been so young when they were separated.

At present, Sephiroth was watching his son as he wandered through an old castle on their home world. He knew the place held many painful memories for his child, and yet the boy continued to return to it. He understood how difficult it could be to let go of past misdeeds, and it pained him that he could not help his son to be free of his.

The boy would not even know him now, and would likely consider him an enemy, considering the boy's associates and his own misdeeds of the past.

He watched silently as the silver-haired boy wandered (there really was no other word for what he was doing) into a different room and ran his hand over an old piano. With a silent and carefully controlled Aero spell, the boy blew most of the dust off the instrument before sitting down and running his slender fingers across the keys experimentally.

After a moment, a melody began to form and Sephiroth merely watched and listened. He had not even known his son could play. Then the melody turned familiar, and a look of deep concentration and vague recognition reached Riku's face as he began to sing quietly…

"Someone holds me safe and warm;  
Horses prance through a silver storm;  
Figures dancing gracefully  
across my memory...  
Far away, long ago,  
glowing dim as an ember,  
Things my heart used to know,  
Things it yearns to remember...  
And a song someone sings  
once upon a December…"

Sephiroth mouthed the last few lines with his son, wondering if the boy was remembering the same day as he was.


	77. Fly

_Prompt: Fly_

_Given by: xXxchiixXx_

_Setting: The Jolly Rodger, Neverland; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Sora flew around the ship with Peter and Tinker Bell, laughing and recalling past experiences with the ship's former captain. 

The spiky-haired teen caught sight of Riku, still earthbound and leaning against the railing of the ship's upper level, silver hair blowing in the breeze as he gazed at the sky. Sora told his friend's he would be back and flew over to hover before the teal-eyed boy.

"Hey, Riku, why don't you give it a try?" Sora said in a coaxing tone with a broad grin.

"No thanks," answered Riku, offering a smaller but no less genuine grin to his friend. "I like having something to keep me grounded."

"You're not afraid of heights, are you?" offered a joking voice from above.

Sora and Riku both looked up to find Peter smirking with Tinker Bell laughing beside his head.

The silver-haired boy just continued grinning as he shook his head, but Sora outright laughed. "Riku's definitely not afraid of heights."

"Then why stay grounded?" remarked Peter with a shrug before he and Tinker Bell flew off, making huge loops in the air.

"That is a good question, Riku," Sora said after he was sure the others were out of earshot again.

"I didn't mean literally grounded," remarked the teal-eyed boy. "I just like something physical to keep me in touch with reality…with me…you know?"

Sora chuckled, "And you need touch for that kind of security? Why wouldn't you be in touch with you?"

The other boy's eyes grew distant, as if he were seeing something no one else could, and he probably was. His voice sounded just as distant when he responded. "Because I've been someone else before…and I've been nothing too."

The laugh died on Sora's lips as he realised this was a more serious discussion than he had assumed. "Riku…"

"I'm okay Sora," assured the silver-haired boy. "I just had to pay different prices than you did…doesn't mean I'm broke."

Sora understood the real statement behind the attempt to keep it light. "You've come too far to break, Riku…"

"Come on, Sora," Riku said as his grin returned. "Don't start getting all sappy here, remember pixie dust and happy thoughts are all that's keeping you up…if you fall and I have to dive in that freezing water after you, I'm going to be seriously annoyed."

The spiky-haired boy laughed again. "You would though, wouldn't you?"

"You're determined to make this a hallmark moment, aren't you?" questioned the teal-eyed teen. When his friend nodded, he sighed before answering. "Of course I'd dive after you."

"I'd come after you too," assured Sora.

"I think we've both proved these points already," commented Riku.

"I just thought you might need a reminder," stated Sora. "And what are best friends for?"

"In our case or for normal people?" remarked the silver-haired boy.

Sora chuckled, "You might have a point there." The blue-eyed boy glanced around before turning back to his friend, looking a little more serious. "So…you're okay for now…?"

"Mm-Hm," a pale, sender hand waved in shooing manner, "Go on, fly, have fun."

"Okay," Sora smiled at his friend. "When I'm done, do you wanna try to sail this thing?"

"What do you mean, _try_?" remarked Riku with a smirk.

"Oh, we're going to have to ask Tink to dust it off," answered Sora with a mischievous smile of his own.


	78. Moon

_Prompt: Moon_

_Given by: xXxchiixXx_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None; Implied Leon/Riku_

* * *

Leon had only been walking home late from one of the many restoration sites when a silver shimmer caught his eye as he passed the Bailey. Riku was sitting on the ledge of the open section that overlooked the maw. 

With his silver hair, fair skin, and cool teal eyes, Leon always found it hard to imagine the boy living on an island. He seemed more familiar with the moon then with the sun.

…Especially at that moment, for the silvered adolescent was currently gazing at the moon from his perch.

Leon could never tell whether the twilight child was all right or not, which actually bothered him, as he liked to keep an eye on all of his friends here. He could not say when the boy joined those ranks, but that did not matter much anyway.

The Gunblade wielder moved to stand beside where Riku sat. He offered a nod when teal eyes glanced at him, then the teenager returned his gaze to its previous focal point.

"Why are you out here?" asked Leon.

"For the view," replied Riku. "Why are you?"

"I was heading home and I saw you here," answered the brunette man.

"So you stopped?" questioned the teenager softly, sounding genuinely curious.

"I wanted to make sure you were alright," said Leon.

"Thanks," responded the silver-haired boy.

"That isn't an answer," Leon pointed out flatly.

"You didn't ask a question," replied Riku impassively. "You just stated why you stopped."

"I assumed that would be considered a question in itself," stated Leon.

"I thought the same thing about my response," said Riku.

Leon nodded. The kid was easier to understand than he thought…and he knew how to make a point. He also reminded Leon more of himself than he had initially thought.

"Why are you staring at the moon?" The steel-eyed man decided to ask directly.

The corner of the boy's mouth twitched, as if tempted to smile, but it ultimately remained still; "Because it's the same no matter where you are…even if it's in a different phase."

"I bet you missed it when you were wearing that blindfold for the past year," Leon commented.

"Not really," responded the teal-eyed boy. "It kept me lonely."

Leon's brows drew in unease. "You don't believe that whole 'united under the same sky' bit that Sora keeps talking about?" questioned the scarred man.

"Yes, that why I'm watching it now," replied Riku, "But at that time…thinking of the friends I didn't belong with anymore wasn't a comfort."

Leon looked down at the boy. "Where do you belong now?"

"Nowhere;" Riku did not sound quite as dejected as Leon had expected, he sounded more resigned than anything.

Leon nodded once more, and the pair fell into an easy silence.

After several minutes, Leon broke it. "Cid says you're good with computers; do you want to have a go at Ansem's with me tomorrow?"

Riku turned his head to look up at the man. After a brief moment, he nodded, "Alright."

"We should go home and get some sleep then," said Leon, offering his hand to help the boy off the ledge.

Riku looked at the hand for a few seconds before taking it and allowing the man to guide him from his perch.

Riku did not release the man's hand as they began walking. Leon did not say anything about it. To them, it was as clear as the moon that hung overhead.


	79. Dangers

_Prompt: Dangers_

_Given by: Z.A.G._

_Setting: Radiant Garden, Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None; Implied Leon/Riku_

* * *

Even as less Heartless were around and there had not been a Nobody sighting in the town for weeks, Radiant Garden, while generally peaceful, still held many everyday dangers. Soon the group of friends that had stuck together through an interplanetary disaster would discover that these dangers could be just as disconcerting and even harder to fight.

When everyone's memories returned, it did not mean much on most worlds, but on Radiant Garden, which had not disappeared, but was actually overrun by Heartless, it did.

Most of the world's residents did not know, and therefore remember, the details and no one had actually seen Riku during that time, but someone had heard that the boy was involved with the villains behind it and most others did not question this 'fact' as it spread.

The friends that he had made on the world would challenge anyone who was foolish enough to say anything hurtful about the boy in their presence. Leon and Cloud threw some rather impressive glares around, Cid and Reno told off a few people, and even Aerith had gotten incredibly stern with one of the shop keeps for speaking ill of a child when he did not even know the full story. Riku himself kept his mouth closed and eyes down for the most part, as he continued to help his friends in the restoration project regardless.

When Cid barged into a late night meeting at Aerith's after finding the boy beaten in an alley, all of the others agreed they had to do something about it.

At first Yuffie questioned whether the situation was as it seemed, because she did not understand how any of the other locals could physically harm the boy, considering that he was a Keyblade wielder and an impressive fighter in his own right, but Leon understood.

Riku had _chosen _not to fight back.

The boy was fast, agile, and generally good at the whole 'don't get hit' concept, but that could only help you so much when you were cornered, outnumbered, and unwilling to harm your attackers. As hurtful as some of the residents were, none of them could tear into the boy as much as he did himself. He felt he had caused these people enough grief already, and would not harm them.

When Riku was finally healed and conscious, and Leon's theory proved true, there was a brief discussion between a few of the friends on how to handle the situation.

Cid wanted to smack the kid and tell him to kick his attackers' asses the next time.

Cloud thought a few of them should just go after the assailants and show them what it meant to be in a fair fight with someone their own size.

Yuffie thought they should simply assassinate the perpetrators.

Aerith wanted them to stop permitting Riku to spend so much time wandering around by himself.

Leon had to admit that each idea had merit, but he had his own way of handling the issue…one that he hoped would be a little more permanent, and require less fighting in the end.

The steel-eyed man walked with the boy to the computer room the next day, and they talked over the seriousness of the situation, under the guise of Leon wanting to hear Riku's perspective on it. While he understood, and even liked what the kid had to say, Leon decided he definitely had to step in.

Without preamble, the Gunblade wielder pulled his Griever pendant over his head and placed it around the boy's neck. The words 'for luck' served as his answer to Riku's questioning stare.

Everyone in the town knew Leon. They respected him and appreciated all that he did for their world. They also knew that he was an impressive swordsman and more importantly, that he was determined, wilful, protective, and possessive.

Putting his pendant on Riku marked the boy as his. Leon knew there were several ways one might interpret that, some more innocent than others, but that did not matter to him.

What mattered was that everyone would know that to harm the boy meant to suffer Leon's wrath.

…Especially after he helped Cloud with his suggestion.


	80. Of

_Prompt: Of_

_Given by: Z.A.G._

_Setting: Disney Castle; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None; Hints of Mickey/Minnie and Implied Leon/Riku_

* * *

Leon looked around the room, once again wondering how he ended up here. 

King Mickey and Queen Minnie sat in their thrones, holding hands and easily explaining why they had brought everyone present here.

"Whelp, I understand why the worlds as a whole shouldn't know about each other," the small king was explaining, "But since they're all connected, I think we, as their leaders, should have some sort of understanding about the keyholes and the Keybearers. The other bearers-" the mouse indicated Sora, who smiled and waved at the king of the Atlantica, clearly a friend he had made during his journeys, and Riku, who stood still and quiet, not really looking at anyone. "-agree that we should all be aware of each other. Especially since those of us present are already aware of the existence of other worlds."

Sora smiled and nodded, Riku looked as though he actually could not care less whether or not the worlds' leaders knew about Keyblades, the wielders, or the keyholes. Leon did not blame the kid; he would be called by the Keyblade to protect the worlds regardless.

Leon sighed inwardly as the few world leaders that had come began speaking over one another. Radiant Garden was technically without a ruler, now that Ansem the Wise was truly dead, and everyone had decided that the Gunblade wielder should go as he was generally considered the leader there. The scarred man still was not sure how they had gotten him to agree. He had a feeling Zell and Riku were behind it.

Suddenly Leon was aware that all eyes were on him. Apparently, it had come to the introductions.

"I'm Squall Leonhart," he stated evenly. The Keybearers had suggested he use his full name for this occasion…they would owe him.

Everyone continued to stare at him. Teal eyes caught his steel ones before Riku slowly mouthed the word '_of_' and then smirked lightly at Leon.

"…Of Radiant Garden," Leon finished.

"I am Jack Skellington of Halloween Town," said a skeleton in a pinstriped suit a few feet away before the sultan of Agrabah introduced himself. Leon noted that the man, who had seemed so jolly when he arrived with the Genie, was glaring daggers at Riku. He could not really blame the man for some animosity, but it really would not do for him to condemn the boy. Leon decided he would point that out later.

As the 'meeting' progressed, Leon decided he disagreed with Sora and Mickey. There really did not seem to be any purpose for this.

Not one to socialise, Leon stood to the side until he noticed Sora making glances toward a shadowy spot under a stature while he talked with Donald and Goofy. Following the glances, Leon noticed Riku standing aside as well, half hidden in the shadows.

The Gunblade wielder made his way to the teen discreetly; he did not want any of the 'other' world leaders to try to strike up a conversation with him.

"How did you ever convince me to come here," the scarred man asked flatly as he moved to stand beside the teenager.

"I finished the orphanage in the virtual town so Zell could take the crew on a tour, made your favourite dessert, and volunteered to isolate that faulty file in the town's computer system," answered the teen without skipping a beat.

"I knew the two of you were responsible for dragging me into this," replied Leon.

"You're the best for the job, Zell thought it would be good for you, and if you weren't here it would just be me and them." Silver hair swished as the boy indicated the jabbering world leaders across the room, several of which were still throwing threatening glances in the teen's direction.

"What was Mickey's main goal in this?" questioned Leon aloud for the first time.

"To make sure they knew us the next time we have to save their worlds," answered the boy. Leon was impressed that he did not use the word 'if'.

"Why only these leaders?" asked the steely-eyed man.

"He decided that since these particular leaders already knew of the existence of other worlds, it wouldn't be meddling if we only included them," stated Riku.

Leon nodded. "We got them here in one piece and they've seen you, do you want to learn how to use a Gunblade?" The scarred man held up a keychain with a lion's head carved into a bullet.

The boy grinned lightly. "Yeah, let's take the back way out."

"There's a back way out?" asked Leon. "Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"Because you would have been gone already?" guessed the boy, still grinning.

"You're starting to know me too well," commented the Gunblade wielder.

"Considering I hadn't said that was my idea yet, I could say the same about you," stated Riku as he turned to head to the castle grounds.

Leon only smirked slightly as he followed the boy out.


	81. Caffeine

_Prompt: Caffeine_

_Given by: Z.A.G._

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Cloud woke up abruptly to Sora jumping on the end of his bed yelling "Cloud wake up!" 

"Sora, what the-?" Cloud yelled when he realised that nothing was wrong.

"Hey, just be glad Leon sent me," said the spiky-haired teen. "I woke up to Riku's ice-water-over-the-head technique."

"If he ever does that to me, I'll kill him," commented the blonde flatly.

"Yeah, good luck with that," remarked Sora blandly. "Now get up; Leon and Riku left already and Leon said he's switching us back to gravel duty if we're late again."

The former SOLDIER groaned as he got out of bed and pulled a shirt on. "Do you know how to use a coffee maker?"

"I'm fifteen, not five, and I've already had a cup and a half," commented Sora, taking a mug from Cloud's bedside table and drinking. Another full mug of coffee remained on the table.

"You're going to be worse than me when you grow up," Cloud said as he brought the cup to his lips. "Thanks."

"Not me," said Sora, indicating his own mug as he sat on Cloud's bed. "Riku made it before he woke me up, and Leon mentioned that you usually require some caffeine in the morning too."

"Maybe I won't have to kill him after all," said the blonde after he finished consuming some of the brewed drink. "This is really good."

"Yeah, it's weird," commented Sora. "He makes the best coffee but he never drinks the stuff."

"I don't know how those types of people do it," remarked Cloud as he pulled on his pants.

"Me either," said the brunette. "I have enough energy during the day, but I can't just wake up and go like that."

"Yeah," agreed Cloud as he pulled a boot on. "You know, you could head over without me."

"No way," said Sora. "Without you around, I'm Zack and Reno's main target."

"You're loyalty is overwhelming," Cloud said dryly as he pulled on his other boot.

"Has anyone ever told you you're a bit cranky in the morning?" asked Sora with a large grin.

"Only until I've finished my first cup of coffee," replied the former SOLDIER, taking another drink of said beverage. "After that they just say I'm moody."

"Zack calls you bitchy sometimes too," offered the spiky-haired teen.

"Thanks; I think you've had enough caffeine now," Cloud responded as he pulled on his gloves.

"We're gonna be late," Sora stated, setting down his now empty cup and looking at the clock. "We're supposed to meet Zack and his crew at the old castle by the waterworks in like, thirty minutes."

"I can make that," Cloud said as he grabbed a set of keys from his bedside table. "Just hold on," he added as the boy followed him out. "Leon and Riku will kill me if you fall off Fenrir while I'm going that fast."

"Yeah, they would," Sora chuckled. "I won't tell if you won't."

"Deal," said Cloud as he locked the house behind them and headed towards the garage.

Zack smirked and shook his head as the two spiky-haired males jumped off the bike to join him. "Riku and Leon were right," said the violet-eyed man. "Some caffeine and a good threat is all it took to get you two here on time for once."

It was the first day any of the crew could remember seeing Cloud smile as he started to work.


	82. Does

_Prompt: Does_

_Given by: Silver-hair Angel_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Leon/Riku_

* * *

Leon drank more than he usually did that night, so he wondered if that was the reason for his sudden musing of the silver-haired boy walking beside him.

Despite Leon's, Tifa's, and surprisingly Cid's protest, the Gunblade wielder knew that a few of the others continued to offer the teenager alcohol during these evenings. Fortunately, the boy refused every time.

Some of the others found it odd that a sixteen year old refused to drink or even try any of the drinks offered to him. Leon had never wondered about it before tonight, he was just pleased that the teen never took anyone up on his or her offer.

As he considered it, Riku's refusal made perfect sense to the scarred man. Between the possession, his time in the darkness, his eyes that could not lie, and the fact that the kid had to give up his form for a period of time, Leon thought it made perfect sense that the boy did not do anything that might give up control of his own body.

Leon had sparred and fought beside Riku, and noticed that the kid never lost control in a fight. His movements were graceful and precise. He also never let his enemies get the upper hand.

Riku used his hair and posture to hide his eyes as well as he could, and kept his expression and tone subtle so that he gave no more away than he had to when interacting with the people around him.

Even with his voice as soft and subdued as it sounded, the boy managed to maintain quiet control over most conversations, guiding the person he was speaking with around the subject of himself easily and leaving the conversation before most could realise this.

Leon was actually impressed by all of this. He could also relate, but only to an extent.

He was also beginning to wonder if the drinking or the musing was the explanation for why he discovered his arm around the boy's shoulders as they entered his house. Riku did not protest as Leon pressed him against the door and kissed him tenderly, but he did tense when one of Leon's hands slid under his shirt, so the brunette backed up and suggested they go to bed. He did want the boy's first time, as well as their first time together, to be while he was tense and with someone who was intoxicated.

After that, Leon always noticed the boy's refusal to give up control of himself in any situation if it could be helped.

However, a couple months later Leon was not intoxicated and Riku was not tense when pale, smooth lips and thighs parted and Leon discovered that there were some circumstances in which the boy _does _give up control.

When Leon noticed that this change in the boy only seem to apply to him, he surprised those around him by actually smiling.

He was glad to know that another thing Riku does is trust him completely.


	83. Awesome

_Prompt: Awesome_

_Given by: Silver-hair Angel_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Sora was not even trying to use any sort of strategy anymore, it was all he could do just to block the swarm of Heartless, which started flowing from the castle some time before. 

The boy could make out his friends occasionally through the crowd of enemies and sometimes he would hear them, usually Riku, who would call his name just before a powerful healing spell washed over the spiky-haired teen.

He heard Cloud call for Aerith and noticed that the woman had collapsed, probably from sheer exhaustion. Sora finally saw Cloud picking his way through the Heartless to reach their friend; Yuffie was doing the same from a different direction.

A Dark Aura flew past Sora's head, striking a few Heartless that were swarming towards him. Riku had already turned to strike a few enemies by him with Way to Dawn when Sora glanced in his direction.

"Sora, pay attention," Leon called from Sora's right.

"I think they're thinning out," Sora said after another moment.

"I think they're preparing for something," Riku said as he worked his way a little closer to his friend.

As the remaining friends continued battling the swarm of Heartless, a large shadow loomed over them. The Gunblade wielder and two Keyblade wielders turned in unison.

Three Darksides had joined the battle. Two of them thrust their fist in to the ground, sending out a wave of darkness that knocked the three heroes back. Several more Shadow Heartless climbed out of the dark stain around the Darksides' fists before the large creatures stood again.

A shot from Revolver brought Sora's attention to his right, where the Shadow Heartless were surrounding Leon. The spiky-haired teen saw Riku running toward the scarred man until one of the Darkside's fist struck down right in front of him. Another one of the Darkside's fist struck down near Sora before he could try to assist his friends.

Sora rolled to the side, but before the enemy could attack again, Riku had jumped between them. The silver-haired teen held up his hands as though he were going to produce a Dark Shield, but the shield never came.

Instead, the area around them seemed to grow darker, and then a dozen dark orbs appeared around the three Darksides before homing in and landing blow after blow. When the bombardment was through, the Heartless were reduced to nothing more than black smoke.

Sora slowly stood, his eyes wide as he watched the air clear where the enemies had stood seconds before. Riku had lowered his hands and was now staring at them in confusion; he even looked a little frightened.

Teal eyes met blue. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Sora answered, "Are you?"

Riku nodded, and then turned to their right, "Leon?"

"I'm fine," said the steel-eyed man as he approached the two teenagers. He fixed his gaze on Riku. "What did you just do?"

"I don't know," replied the teal-eyed boy. "I was trying to stop them…It was like I tried to cast Dark Aura and Dark Shield at once…and this happened instead."

Sora tapped his chin in thought for a moment, "You know... that looked just like one of the spells Sephiroth used when I fought him here."

"It definitely had the kind of awesome destructive power that he uses," commented Leon. "I've never heard of anyone using the same spells as Sephiroth though…and I've never heard of anyone doing something like that by accident before."

"I really don't-" Riku began.

"I believe you," Leon interrupted. He eyed the teen for a moment. "Have you met Sephiroth?"

"No," answered the boy.

Sora looked at Riku oddly for a moment before his expression turned nervous. "Er…he looks a lot like you…like a _lot_…"

Riku turned his eyes to his friend; he looked distant, as if remembering something. "Does he have my hair, but green eyes and black wings?"

"Yep, that's Sephiroth," replied the spiky-haired boy.

"I saw him in the castle the other day, but he ran away when I tried to talk to him," said Riku.

"He ran away from _you_?" question Leon incredulously.

The silver-haired boy nodded. "I think…he's been watching me. I've felt him before. And not just here; he's been on the islands too."

Steel coloured eyes hardened, "What?"

"Sephiroth has visited other worlds before," said Sora, looking at Leon questioningly. "He was at the Coliseum."

"But why would he follow Riku?" asked Leon before turning his attention to the named boy, "And why didn't you say something if you knew you were being followed?"

"Because if he wanted to harm any of us, he could have done so a hundred times already by the time I figured it out," said Riku.

"Is that why you disappeared for a while?" asked Sora.

Riku nodded and Leon rolled his eyes. "Well it was a good idea to distance yourself from Sora until you knew he wasn't going after Key bearers but you still should have told someone."

Riku looked like he wanted to say something, but he simply lowered his head slightly and nodded.

"Riku…?" Sora watched his friend nervously. "Do you think Sephiroth could be-?"

"Yes," was the quiet reply.

Steely eyes darted from one teen to the other. "You think Sephiroth could be what?"

Riku turned his eyes away, and Sora rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"I don't think you two realise how serious this situation is," said Leon.

"Oh, we do," mumbled Sora. Then he looked Leon straight in the eyes. "Promise you won't let Cloud kill him?"

Leon drew his brows in concern and confusion, "Who?"

"Riku," stated Sora.

"I don't want him to die either," murmured Riku.

Sora stared at his friend. "Okay…this whole thing just got even more complicated…"

Leon looked between the two friends for a moment before grabbing Riku's shoulder with one hand and his jaw with the other, forcing the boy to look at him. "Riku, what am I missing here?"

"He's my father," the teal-eyed boy replied quietly but steadily.

Grey eyes blinked. "Don't say anything to Cloud yet."


	84. Rock

_Prompt: Rock_

_Given by: Silver-hair Angel_

_Setting: Radiant Garden: Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Yuffie skipped over to where Sora and Kairi were sitting and eating ice cream in The Borough, "Hey guys, what are you doing?" 

"We were just talking about the restoration," said Kairi.

"Really? Why?" replied Yuffie as she sat down by the two teens.

"Well, not the restoration so much as the committee members," Sora clarified.

"Ah…so who are you gossiping about?" asked the hyperactive ninja.

"It's not gossiping," Sora stated firmly.

"Yeah, it is," remarked Kairi before turning to the other girl. "We were talking about Leon."

"See? _Talking_, not gossiping; there's a difference," said Sora. "Guys don't gossip."

"You clearly haven't spent any quality time with Reno," stated Yuffie, "Anyway, what about Leon? Is this about the way he's been eyeing Jailbait? 'Cause you know, he still claims he's straight…"

Sora's eyes widened, "We weren't talking about that!"

"If 'Jailbait' is Riku than it doesn't matter if he's straight anyway," commented Kairi.

The Ninja looked thoughtful for a moment, "Yeah, I could see that…"

"Why are you calling him Jailbait now anyway?" asked Sora.

"I've just heard Cid say it too many times I guess," answered Yuffie with a shrug.

"Well try not to say it in front of Riku," Kairi said in a delicate tone. "It's been hard enough getting him to open up around you guys."

"This is him opened up?" questioned Yuffie. Kairi nodded with a saddened expression.

"That's not what we were talking about though," Sora repeated.

"Oh yeah," said Yuffie, "So what were you talking about then?"

"Well it started when I made an innocent comment about how Leon should be elected mayor or something once the town is completed, because of everything he does," Kairi said in a rush, "But then Sora started getting himself all bent out of shape."

"I'm not bent out of shape," Sora said in a frustrated tone. "I just think everyone relies on him too much."

"He's the rock of the group, Sora," said Kairi, "Of course everyone relies on him. His strength and determination keeps them strong and determined."

"Yeah," agreed Yuffie. "He's the one who always knows what to do and he always stays calm and handles things, so why shouldn't we let him lead?"

"Because that sounds like a lot of pressure," answered Sora. "It isn't fair for him to feel like he has to take charge and be all cool and collected all the time."

"Uh, Sora…?" Kairi looked like she was trying not to laugh. "You do realise you put Riku in the same position all the time? I mean, you could call him the Leon of our group on Destiny Islands…"

"I don't just expect him to take charge though," protested Sora.

Kairi looked at Sora disbelievingly. "Within seconds of finding out Riku was Riku and not 'Ansem', you completely disregarded the form change, darkness issues, and everything he had done for you, and started asking him what to do as if we were back on the islands again."

"Well, he knew more about what was going on than I did," defended Sora, "And he's better at taking charge than I am. He's always so calm, and…" The spiky-haired teen's eyes widened as he trailed off.

"He's our rock just like Leon is everyone's rock here," stated Kairi as she patted Sora's hand. "It's okay, that's just the way things work sometimes."

"I really never noticed…," mumbled Sora dejectedly.

"Hey," called a new, smooth voice, causing the others to look behind them as Riku approached. "What are you two doing to Sora?"

"Making him see what a hypocrite he's being," stated Yuffie lightly.

One silver eyebrow arched. "Sora isn't a hypocrite. Why would you say that?"

"Because it's okay for him to use his rock, but not for the rest of us to use ours," said Yuffie mock-indignantly.

Cyan eyes met cerulean ones. "Do I want to know, and do you need me to intervene?"

Sora's face took on a decidedly red hue, whether from embarrassment, frustration, or anger, the others could not be sure. "No on both counts."

"Okay," Riku looked slightly concerned. "Well, why don't you ditch these two, since they're accusing you of being a hypocrite anyway, and show me how to use a skateboard?"

Sora smiled right away, completely distracted from whichever emotion had overcome him a moment before. "Okay, come on! We can borrow a second board from Scrooge."

As the spiky-haired teen jumped up and started walking away, Riku gave the two girls, who had suddenly broken into giggles, a bemused glance before following his friend.

"I guess these things don't ever change," said Kairi.

"Well, when does a rock ever stop being so solid?" responded Yuffie. "Now about Leon and Riku…"


	85. Flirt

_Prompt: Flirt_

_Given by: Verycrazygirl_

_Setting: Olympus Coliseum; KHI_

_Pairing: Possibly one-sided Cloud/Riku_

* * *

From the moment Cloud went out of his way to speak to Riku, he knew he was flirting with disaster.

The boy was just that, a boy, a kid, a _child_. It was illegal and generally frowned upon…and with good reason. The boy would certainly not be ready for what Cloud wanted, and the man knew himself well enough to know he would push for what he wanted and degrade himself for it later, but a lot of good that would do Riku.

The boy was also, again, a boy, as in very definitely (well maybe not _very_, he was a little ambiguous looking) _male_. That was frowned upon in more places than not too. He suspected that the fact that he was a guy was not a problem for the kid, but one could rarely be sure and, again, that would not help the boy when people were calling him names and giving him looks on the streets.

Both he and the kid were also wrapped up in some very dangerous situations at present. They were both under the thumbs of a couple powerful villains who would think nothing of taking them out if they turned against their wishes. The darkness was just hovering around the boy, waiting for its chance to claim him, and Cloud would only help it do that.

Riku also looked far too much like Sephiroth for Cloud's liking…even though he _did _like it. The boy was beautiful, but there were just too many similarities, which would not be so bad if it were not for the fact that they both looked so unique. Anyone could have blue eyes or blonde hair, but not that silky silver hair, and even if they were not the same colour as Sephiroth's, the boy's aqua eyes were just as distinct and striking.

The kid was also wrapped up in this Keyblade business, which meant there truly was no way out for the boy short of death…and Riku's death meant ill things for the fate of the worlds. Hadn't Cloud known enough failure and loss to teach him to stay away from these situations?

Yet Cloud had gone out of his way to see the boy. He had defied Hades rather than destroy the kid's friend. In the process, he got on the wrong side of some influential people and was constantly sneaking back into enemy territory just to speak to the kid.

Cloud had failed to defeat Sephiroth again, and had even failed to rid himself of the darkness. The darkness surrounding the boy grew thicker, more prominent. It became harder to find the kid in it. Cloud could not find his way out of the dark; how could he help Riku find his?

The witch's use of the boy had also left its mark. He made less sarcastic remarks, never smiled, and grew less and less certain of himself. Cloud could not pull himself out of his depression and self-deprecation, and therefore, had no idea how to help the boy out of his own.

When Cloud heard of the boy's father, or more importantly, his lack there of, as well as some of the quirks the kid's mother had, he knew without a doubt that there was a connection between his nemesis and the child. Cloud almost backed off then…but almost does not count.

Cloud became attached to Riku. Riku fell apart a little more everyday, and Cloud felt his own heart break as the boy did. Then one day, the kid simply disappeared.

Cid found Cloud at the Coliseum…where the former SOLDIER had been hoping to find Sephiroth, although not for the reasons the Gummi pilot assumed. He only cared about finding Riku by that point…even if he had to accept Sephiroth's help to do so.

When Cid convinced Cloud to return to Radiant Garden with him and reunited him with his old friends, the joy at being accepted by them was short lived. Leon spoke of a Keybearer, Riku's best friend, and _his _best friend, who had been possessed by the malevolent spirit of Ansem the Wise.

They did not understand why Cloud wore only black, brooded even more, and focused entirely on finding Sephiroth after that.

No word came of or from the boy, and Cloud did not expect any. After all, what could he expect? He had chosen to flirt with disaster, and he had allured it well.


	86. Axel

_Prompt: Axel_

_Given by: Verycrazygirl_

_Setting: Destiny Islands; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Sora was sitting on the Paopu tree, looking over the water and thinking hard when he heard a familiar voice right behind him. 

"Now," if Riku noticed Sora startle, which the brunette was sure he did, then he was kind enough not to even break his stride over it. "Why is it that when I sit out here to think, you either tell me to stop brooding or panic that I'm going to become clinically depressed or something, but it's fine for you to do it?"

"Because I don't get that sad, distant look that you do and I don't do it nearly as often," replied Sora with a teasing tone, even though the words were completely true.

"Ah," replied Riku as though these points were unimportant at the moment and not worth rebutting. "So what has you brooding today?"

"I'm not _brooding_, I'm _thinking_," said Sora, "There's a difference."

"Yes, and I'd like you to remember it the next time you accuse me of doing so," said the silver-haired teen as he jumped on the tree to sit beside his friend.

Sora gave the boy beside him a weak glare. "Fine, you've made your point."

"Good," the humour died from Riku's features. "So, what were you thinking about?"

"Axel," answered Sora.

Riku only nodded and looked out to the horizon, waiting patiently for the explanation he knew would follow. Sora never was one to keep things to himself.

"I just…don't know what to make of him," Sora predictably continued after a brief silence. "I know it shouldn't matter now. He's gone, but…" A small blush touched the boy's cheeks.

"Just because he's gone doesn't mean he shouldn't matter," Riku said quietly.

The traces of embarrassment drained from Sora's face and he offered his friend a small, thankful smile before he began speaking again. "I thought he was just a jerk at first. He was always messing with me and getting in the way, and then he went so far as to kidnap Kairi. So, he had to have been bad, right?"

"No," said Riku. "What he did was wrong, but he did it with good intentions and he didn't hurt anyone. He just wanted to save his friend…it was the same thing I did before we closed the door to Kingdom Hearts. I knew it was wrong, but I thought it was the only was to save Kairi…and you in a way."

"I didn't think of it like that," Sora responded thoughtfully. "He said he just wanted to see Roxas again…and he came though in the end. He sacrificed himself to save us…just like you did." Sora chuckled, "He even told me to go help Kairi."

"He realised that Roxas was a part of you." Riku paused briefly before continuing softly, "He still just wanted to help his friend."

Sora's smile faltered, "Riku…do you think Axel just faded back into darkness?"

"I hope not," answered the silver-haired boy. "If he did, I wouldn't call it 'fading back' either…he didn't belong to the darkness."

"No," Sora said with a nod of agreement, "He didn't."

After a moment, Sora smiled brightly. "I guess Roxas and I had something in common." He glanced at the boy beside him. "We both picked the best friends we could've wished for."

Riku turned to look at his friend. "He wasn't a total sap like you though."

Sora laughed. "Thanks Riku…you wanna spar?"

Riku smiled lightly, "That's the Sora I know…Yeah, come on."


	87. Larxene

_Prompt: Larxene_

_Given by: Verycrazygirl_

_Setting: The World That Never Was; Pre-CoM_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

"Yikes," Demyx said as he dodged into the room, checking over his shoulder before closing the door behind him.

"Larxene acting up again?" questioned Axel without looking up.

"Uh-huh," the Melodious Nocturne replied with a nod. "She gets pretty scary sometimes…"

Suddenly Roxas titled his head as if thinking…Axel snorted at the image. "You look like a confused puppy when you do that, Roxas."

Blue eyes glared harder then any puppy could before the other Nobody spoke. "I was just wondering something…"

Two pairs of green eyes were on him now.

"…And that was…?" Axel prompted.

"Do Nobodies get PMS?" questioned number XIII.

There was a brief and complete silence before both of the other Nobodies burst into laughter. Roxas just stared at them; he had never seen any of their kind laugh like that before.

"That was priceless," Axel said as he caught his breath. "Larxene would maim you if she'd heard that."

"Yeah, you really want to watch what you say around her, "said Demyx. "That woman is frightening."

"Funnily enough, I didn't think she got the nickname 'Savage Nymph' for spreading pixie dust and happy thoughts," Roxas retorted sarcastically.

"Yeah, but you still don't know the half of it," said Axel. Then, he turned to Demyx. "You remember what she did that time I suggested she take Saïx's suggestions a little more seriously?"

"Yeah," said Demyx with a sombre expression. "I still can't believe it. At least the damage wasn't permanent…"

The fiery Nobody nodded before turning to Roxas, "And she actually _likes _me. You, she would pulverise without a second thought."

"Has she always been…?" Roxas trailed off as though he could not find the right word.

"Sadistic?" suggested Demyx at the same time Axel said, "Insane?"

"Either works," replied Roxas in a casual tone.

"As long as she's existed," replied Axel.

"I wonder if her Other was like that," said Demyx thoughtfully.

"She was probably balanced and Larxene only got the maniacal half and the violet tendencies," said Axel easily.

"Can that happen?" asked Roxas.

"I think so," said Demyx. "From what I can recall, my Other wasn't quite like me."

"You mean he didn't have a switch that could send him from dweeb to kick-ass in point-two seconds?" asked Axel, looking completely serious.

Bottle green eyes narrowed at the redhead before Demyx returned his attention to Roxas. "Zexion's theory is that, while we are of similar intelligence and build of our Others, our personalities are the mirror image of theirs."

"What is that suppose to mean?" questioned the younger blonde dryly.

"The traits that were more subtle in them, are more prominent in us," answered the Melodious Nocturne, "And vice versa."

"So, yours was a bubbly git," said Axel, "Mine had no sense of humour, Zexion's did, and Larxene's was probably quite tame."

Now Roxas was glaring at his best friend.

"Hey," said the Flurry of Dancing Flames, "You should take that as a compliment!"

"Do you think you could get Larxene to tell you about her Other's memories?" Demyx asked Axel as though the redhead was not being burned by his friend's glare.

"No, she doesn't trust me _that _much," answered the fiery Nobody as he turned his attention to number IX. "Besides, I really don't want to ask the moody freak anything."

"Can't blame you there," said Demyx, and even Roxas nodded his agreement.

"Besides," added Axel, "I have to stay on her good side for a little while longer…or what passes for her good side."

"Why is that?" asked Demyx.

"Oh, just something I might have to take care of for the superior," remarked Axel casually.

"Do we want to know?" questioned Roxas.

"Probably not," answered the redhead.

Roxas may have been the newbie, but between Axel's forced casualty and Demyx's grave expression, he knew better than to question the matter any further. "So…what about my PMS theory?" he asked instead.

A smirk touched the redhead's lips. "Well…If we could talk one of the others into asking…"

Demyx smirked as well, "Perhaps someone big and dumb?"

Roxas looked from one to the other, "I think all of us can change from calm to devious in a matter of seconds…"


	88. Loser

_Prompt: Loser_

_Given by: xKeybladexMistressx_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Leon and Cloud had just sat down at their kitchen table when two grinning teenagers entered the house.

"I can't believe you nailed that already," Sora said as he open the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of soda for him, and one of juice, which he tossed to Riku. "It took me forever to get it right."

"What did he do?" asked Cloud, facing Sora, but glancing at Riku.

"He pretty much mastered skateboarding in like, half the time it took me," answered Sora with a sincere smile.

"Well, is it really that difficult?" questioned the blonde.

"Hey, what is that supposed to mean?" questioned Sora, although without much venom.

"You had a lot going on when you were learning," offered Riku.

"Besides, Cloud here is lucky that he can walk down the street without screwing something up," said Leon.

"If I can handle Fenrir and fight at the same time, I think I handle a skateboard," remarked Cloud.

Suddenly, both boys perked up. Cloud and Leon each froze. They had never seen Riku look as enthusiastic as Sora about anything before.

The two adolescents turned to each other.

"We should so teach them," said Sora.

"Definitely," replied Riku.

Despite the fact that they could both vaguely recall protesting, both men found themselves on the outer wall of The Borough soon after... each with a skateboard-wielding teenager beside them, talking them through the basics. Then, Riku gave a brief demonstration while Sora ran a non-stop commentary on what the silver-haired boy was doing.

"Here," said Sora as he handed his skateboard to Cloud, "you try."

Riku joined them again and handed Leon the skateboard he had rented from Scrooge.

Both men looked at the boards in their hands, then at the two boys before them, and finally, each other before dropping the skateboards in position and kicking off.

Leon started simple, but did well. Cloud had overturned the board and landed face first on the concrete within a few minutes.

Sora chuckled good-naturedly. "Maybe you should try something simpler first. I couldn't just grab a board and go like Riku did either."

"Where you _that_ bad?" asked Leon, as Cloud tasted the concrete for the second time a few minutes later.

"No…I didn't think anyone was," answered Sora, watching the blonde man with a look of mixed confusion and amusement.

"How did he fall that time?" questioned Riku as Cloud picked himself off the ground and located the skateboard.

"I don't know," Sora tilted his head. "It looked like he hit something, but I don't see anything there he could have crashed on."

An hour or so later found Leon attempting some slightly more complicated tricks, and Cloud sporting scraped palms, knees and elbows, as well as a swollen lip and bruised shins.

"Maybe he just has really bad balance," Sora suggested quietly. As the blonde man set up the board again, he called, "Why don't you try riding the edge instead?"

"His balance cannot be that bad," Riku murmured to his friend. "He wouldn't be able to handle Fenrir if it were. Nice one, Leon," he called out after the grey-eyed man nailed his first 180°.

A moment later, Sora ducked as a skateboard flew in their direction and Riku leaped forward as Cloud began to fall over the wall. The man's boot collided with the teen's head as the blonde twisted in the air and the boy tugged on his pant leg before both fell to the ground.

"Are you guys okay?" Sara called as he ran over.

Leon helped Riku up as Cloud grumbled something in response.

"At least you didn't over the wall," Sora offered as Cloud stood, clearly favouring his left leg and with a bruise forming on his temple and his right elbow bleeding freely. "That would have been worse." The boy handed the former SOLDIER a health potion.

"Of course, next time I think we're going to let you fall," said Leon as he inspected the livid bruise that was already forming across Riku's jaw. "I think this is broken."

"I didn't notice you there," mumbled Cloud, looking at the teen's jaw apologetically.

Riku waved off the attempted apology before casting a healing spell on himself.

Leon looked over at the now tired looking teen, before glancing at the rising moon past the maw. "I think I'm going to call it a day. We've hit another bug in Ansem's computer system that I'll have to tackle tomorrow."

"Want some help with that?" offered Riku.

Leon nodded, "You heading back too then?"

The silver-haired boy nodded before giving Sora and Cloud a small wave and following the man out of the area.

Both of the spiky-haired males left behind turned their gazes to the skateboards. Sora's was scraped up and missing a wheel.

"Sorry about that," said Cloud as he picked up the rented one Leon and Riku had used.

"That's fine," said the boy as he picked up the remains of his board. "I can fix it in the morning. Do you want to call it quits for today? You're gonna be pretty sore tomorrow."

"Yeah," Cloud gave a curt nod.

"Hey," Sora perked up as they descended the stairs. "After Riku and Leon are finished tomorrow, maybe we can all try the lightcycles. None of you guys had tried it yet. You and Riku know how to handle a real motorcycle, so it shouldn't be too hard. You can team with me if you want."

"Think we can take them?" questioned the blonde.

"It's worth a shot," answered the brunette.


	89. OCD

_Prompt: OCD_

_Given by: xKeybladexMistressx_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Cloud opened a kitchen cabinet to find all of the cups and glasses inside arranged by type and size instead of the usual disarray one found when looking into the closed cupboard.

"I though you said you just asked the kid to clean the kitchen, Leon," he said as he pulled out a glass.

"I did," replied the scarred man as he entered the room.

The blonde glanced back at the orderly arrangement and then opened the next cabinet to find everything organized just as well.

"I swear that kid has OCD or something," commented Cloud as he poured some soda.

"Why, because he's organized?" asked Leon. "Sora said he always was tidy."

"He's not just organized or tidy," said Cloud. "Those books he re-shelved after Yuffie knocked over the bookshelf the other day; they're arranged by subject and then each section is alphabetised as are the individual books in each grouping. The books on the shelves in his room are the same way. That's not normal."

Leon paused before lighting the stove and seemed to ponder this for a moment. Finally, he began working on dinner as he replied. "Do you remember when Riku first came here? I mean the very first time."

The blonde looked at his friend incredulously before responding flatly. "You introduced me to an anthropomorphic mouse who claimed to be a king. As if that wasn't strange enough, you also befriended a blindfolded mini-Sephiroth who claimed we had met his best friend but couldn't remember him while he was sleeping, and that he had taken over the job of protecting the worlds while he looked for a way to wake said friend up…oh, and both wielded a Keyblade. Who would forget that?"

"Alright," said Leon neutrally. "Now forget all of that except for the parts about the blindfold, protecting the worlds, and trying to save his friend. We saw the way he fought and moved. Obviously his other senses took over, but even that weird sixth sense of his wouldn't tell him which book was which on a shelf, or where a particular glass was located."

Mako blue eyes blinked. "You're saying it's habitual for him by now?"

"Exactly," replied the grey-eyed man.

"We need to break of him of that," commented Cloud seriously.

"Why; you can't handle having things well organised?" asked Leon.

"From what I've heard from Sora, Riku is neat enough without this habit, and so are you," answered Cloud. "I'm going to look like a slob by comparison, you're going to get used to this kind of order and drive me nuts, and it isn't healthy for the kid anyway."

"You are a slob, and I could definitely get used to this, but you're right," replied Leon. "It isn't healthy for the kid. However, we are not going to 'break him' of anything, we are just going to mention it to him. He probably isn't aware that he's still doing it."

"Good point," agreed Cloud. "You talk to him and if he doesn't knock it off, I'm breaking him of it."

"Whatever," said Leon, shaking his head slowly.


	90. Floor Tile

_Prompt: Floor Tile_

_Given by: Lapse-Raevn_

_Setting: Post-CoM_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Riku walked along the path he had chosen…the road to dawn.

He could still feel the bit of Ansem that he had defeated and now kept suppressed in his heart, or suppressed by his heart. It served as a constant reminder of his recent manipulation…of his corruption. Riku hoped this path would lead him to a way to set things right.

…And that he might meet his lost friend at the end of the road.

He and Mickey had parted ways, and that was all right. The teen had a feeling he would see his strange friend again, and in any case, they had different duties and destinies to fulfil.

Several Heartless appeared and surrounded the wandering teen. He summoned Way to the Dawn and began to fight them. He moved between them easily, for he had always been skilled, but swordplay had become as common as walking to him in the past few months.

As the last one fell and Riku released the Keyblade, he felt an odd lurch in his chest.

Abruptly, he found himself falling through darkness.

Riku landed lightly on his feet, which should have been impossible after how far he had fallen, but he had seen too much to be surprised. The ground appeared to be moving, and when Riku took a step back, thousands of moths flew up and away, revealing that he was standing on an illuminated platform.

A familiar but unknown voice spoke out of nowhere.

_So much to do, so little time… Take your time. Don't be afraid._

Riku glanced around; aside from the illuminated platform, all he could see was endless darkness…the view was so familiar, and it was oddly comforting in this strange setting.

Aqua eyes turned down to examine the pattern on the floor.

The floor tiles on the glowing platform resembled a stained glass window, only it was not in the multitude of vibrant colours from which stained glass is usually created. This one was entirely in shades of grey. Riku spared a brief thought that this seemed fitting, however, most of his attention had focused on the image itself.

The silver-haired boy was looking at his own likeness, along with Sora and Kairi's. The strange mosaic had captured them exactly as they were the last time they were all together on their island. Teal eyes threatened to tear as Riku remembered the last time he had really seen Sora; sleeping in that chamber. He looked up, even more resolved to escape from this place and save his friend.

A beam of light cut through the surrounding darkness and lit the centre of the platform. Something inside Riku told him to step into the light. When he did, three small platforms appeared around him. A sword, a shield, and a staff appeared, hovering above each of the small platforms. The strange voice spoke again.

_Power sleeps within you… Choose its form…_

Teal eyes returned to the image of his friends as his mind revisited to the image of Sora sleeping in that chamber. He would have to fight for Sora. He took the sword…he would need all the strength he had to succeed.

Afterwards, the same items reappeared, and the same voice spoke once more.

_Remember, there is always balance. Choose which you shall sacrifice in exchange._

Again, his eyes and thoughts turned to Sora, to the best friend whom he now had to protect even more than he tried to when they were small. He chose the staff…he was not very keen on magic after all he had seen and done anyway.

As the small platforms vanished, a spiralling staircase made of the same glowing floor tiles in various shades of grey appeared, leading to another platform. Riku descended without a moment's pause.

Several Heartless appeared as Riku ran up the stairs. He summoned Way to the Dawn and dispatched them with ease, wondering why more Heartless were not appearing. He wondered if the surrounding darkness was not the same as the dark he had grown accustomed to recently.

When he reached the next platform, he discovered that it had the same grey scale stained glass style floor, only this one depicted a rather different, and notably darker, scene.

He was looking at the image of Maleficent, surrounded by minions in shadows. In the border of the round platform, he could see each of the princesses of heart, sleeping quietly.

Many more Heartless, as well as several Nobodies and some strange white creatures that Riku equated with light, appeared and attacked the silver-haired adolescent just after that same voice spoke a warning.

_Your decisions have made enemies on every side. Are you certain this is the path you choose to follow?_

Riku sighed as he summoned Way to the Dawn. He had chosen his path and he was going to follow it to wherever it might lead him. He knew he had made some bad decisions before, but he was doing the right thing from now on.

He threw a Dark Aura at some of the light creatures before jumping back and slashing two Nobodies. His motions became a blur even to himself after that, until he had called down the very light he once thought he had forsaken to create a barrier around him, in the shape of a heart. He smirked at the irony before destroying the last of his enemies.

_You choose to fight both light and darkness, as well as the nothing… _

_You fight using the light and darkness, as you are the in-between._

_This is the path you have chosen…_

Another winding stairwell appeared. Again, Riku ascended without pause.

The silver-haired teen fought more Heartless and Nobodies as he steadily approached the next platform. He found that he was a little more secure in his movements as he wielded Way to the Dawn, as well as the light and darkness within him.

When Riku reached the third and final platform, he found another familiar, although more comforting, image than the last glowing on the ground in shades of grey.

The doors to Kingdom Hearts were depicted here, closed, as it should be, with Mickey standing before one door and DiZ before the other. The border was unique pattern of black and white intertwined.

Three chests appeared around him, Riku approached one slowly. As he kneeled down to open it, that strange voice spoke again.

_Here you shall acknowledge your greatest weapon…_

Riku slowly opened the chest, and a glowing heart floated out to hover at his eye level. The heart held both light and darkness entwined in a unique and impossible weave. After a moment, the heart vanished, and Riku moved on to the next chest.

_Here you shall see your greatest weakness…_

Riku cautiously opened the chest, and found that the inside was lined with mirrors. Seeing his reflection for the first time in months, it was not the paleness of his face or any other physical change that held his attention, but his eyes. Everything he was feeling, thinking, and fearing were clearly visible in his bright eyes. All of the fear, hope, worries; self-loathing, doubt, sorrow, longing, and determination he felt were there, staring back at him. Riku slowly closed the chest and moved on to the last one.

_Here you shall find your greatest defence…_

Riku determinedly opened the final chest. Lying inside was a single, black blindfold. The teen held it up with slight confusion for a moment. Then his thoughts returned to what he had seen in the other chest, and what he had learned on this journey thus far. If he were to accomplish his goals, he would have to protect himself and learn to block out all the lies…to look inward for his strengths and defences. He slowly stood and tied the strip of thick cloth in place.

Even without his sight, he knew the door behind him was no longer sealed. He turned to face it.

_For every door that closes, another opens…_

_You have chosen your path, Master of Shadows._

_Now follow it to your final destination...your destiny._

_Remember, you must be the one to open the door…_

Riku pointed Way to the Dawn at the door and unlocked it. He felt the cool of the true dark realm through it, and caught a scent he recognised as darkness itself.

…He stepped through without hesitation.


	91. Reassure

_Prompt: Reassure_

_Given by: Joelpuppy_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None; Implied Pre-Cloud/Riku_

* * *

Cloud was walking along the river, keeping a lookout at the surrounding area. Rumours that Sephiroth had been sighted near the castle and the Dark Depths had begun to circulate and the former SOLDIER wanted to find out if they were true.

As he approached the waterworks, a flash of silver caught his eye. However, the figure his eyes fell upon when he turned was smaller and much less imposing than Sephiroth's was.

Blonde eyebrows furrowed when he noticed the distant look the on the teen's face as he stared down into the water.

"Riku?" Cloud approached the boy. "Are you alright? What are you doing out here?"

Teal eyes flicked over to him before Riku returned his gaze to the water. "I'm fine. I just needed somewhere to think. Why are you out here?"

Cloud continued to watch the boy a moment. He did not sound fine, and he still was not looking at Cloud. "I heard that Sephiroth has been seen around here, I wanted to check it out."

The silver-haired boy tilted his head slightly, Cloud could not help but admire the boy's fine features or the way the breeze toyed with his hair.

Riku's soft voice cut into Cloud's thoughts. "That's the guy who looks like he could pass for my evil big brother, right?"

Mako blue eyes blinked as Cloud thought of the trueness of that statement as well as the fact that he had been checking the boy out. "Yes…that's him."

"I've seen him around here," responded the teenager, "Not today though."

Cloud took another step toward the boy. "You've seen him and you still come out here by yourself? Sephiroth is not someone you want to catch you off guard."

"I'm rarely off guard," Riku replied quietly, then he sat at the edge of the canyon and continued, "Besides, he's definitely seen me, so if he wanted to attack me, he could have…And it's not like I'm helpless."

Cloud frowned and looked down at the boy. It almost sounded like he wanted Sephiroth to attack him. Clearly, something was wrong here. The blonde man wished he had taken either Leon or Zack up on their offers to accompany him. They were a lot better when it came to offering reassurance.

…But they were not here. Cloud took another step so that he was standing directly beside the sitting teenager. "What did you come out here to think about?"

Riku did not look up at the man as he answered with a question of his own. "Are mistakes ever forgiven…even if you can never make up for them?"

Cloud paused; that sounded exactly like something he would ask. "I think your friends have already forgiven you…"

"That…," Riku sighed, "That isn't what I meant…"

Cloud sighed as well before turning and sitting down beside the boy. If this was about what Cloud thought it was, then it would take him a while to help…but he could. He was never possessed and he never had to give himself up the way Riku had, but Cloud knew what it meant to lose yourself.

"You know, I wasn't a victim of manipulation like you were," said Cloud, who had now joined the boy in staring at the water below. "I gave in to the darkness all on my own. I even caused others to be drawn into darkness. I know I can never make up for that, and my friends think I don't have to, but I never would have made it if I didn't find a way to attempt to make amends…to try to rid myself of the darkness in my heart."

Cloud felt the boy nod, and turned his head slightly so that he could watch the boy through the corner of his eye. Riku's gaze was still downcast, his silver hair hiding most of his features. "That's easier said than done, isn't it?"

Again, Riku nodded slowly. Cloud sighed again. The boy was as reserved as Leon. He decided to keep speaking, thinking that perhaps if he laid enough on the table, the boy would feel secure enough to lie his own thoughts down beside them.

"It's my fault that Sephiroth has fallen as far as he has, so I decided to take it upon myself to destroy him." Cloud noticed a flicker of teal behind the veil of silver beside him. "To me, he represents the darkness in my heart, not as literally as your enemy did, but close enough. I've killed him a few times now…but he always returns along with the darkness."

"Every heart has darkness in it," Riku said evenly. "That doesn't mean that every heart is malevolent or dark in origin. Even Sora became a Heartless for a brief time, and he has one of the brightest hearts I've ever seen."

Cloud nodded; at least he knew he was getting through to the boy. "That's true. That king says that the darkness and light work together in your heart in a way that's completely unheard of. Yet, you've done some of the most selfless things I've ever heard of. I guess having some darkness isn't so bad…I just wish I could defeat Sephiroth once and for all."

"What if you can't?" Riku asked quietly. "What if, even after you defeat him, you can still feel him there? What if your heart was the only thing suppressing him? What would you do?"

Cloud turned his head to look at the boy fully. "Then, I would keep suppressing him…and I would feel better knowing my heart was strong enough to do that. It wouldn't be an easy thing to live with though. Does…_he _still trouble you?"

Riku nodded again. "I know I'll never release him, but still…I look down, and I'm afraid I won't see me. Sometimes I don't even feel real at all."

Cloud's breath caught when the boy finally turned to look at him. Leon had explained the blindfold to him a few times, but it still never quite made sense before. He could actually _see _the pain, fear, and dread in the boy's teal eyes, as well as a deep-rooted devotion, determination, and a glimmer of hope.

When Riku began to turn his face away again, Cloud wrapped one of his arms around the boy's shoulders. His hand gently squeezed the bare arm furthest from him as he spoke. "You're real, Riku…and no one can change that. You aren't dark either…And whether you believe it or not, you have more than redeemed yourself. You don't deserve to have to live with this, but you're the only one strong enough to, and for that, as well as the fact that you defeated him and the darkness to begin with, you should feel proud of yourself." Cloud gently rubbed the arm he had been squeezing and quietly repeated, "You're real."

Teal eyes turned to search his, and Cloud was amazed that those eyes could hold so much emotion without overflowing. He felt a slender arm raise behind him as Riku turned and leaned towards him, and it was not until the boy's other arm wrapped around his neck that Cloud realised Riku was hugging him.

He tightened his arm around the boy's shoulders and wrapped the other around his waist as he felt Riku's face rest against his shoulder. "Thank you Cloud," he felt the boy's breath ghost across his throat.

Cloud just smiled and held on tighter. If this reassurance was what the boy needed, then he would happily give it. He rested his own head over Riku's, inhaling the soft scent of his hair and continuing to offer this silent comfort.

He did not even release the boy when he noticed a black feather floating down to the water below.


	92. Clarity

_Prompt: Clarity_

_Given by: Joelpuppy_

_Setting: Destiny Islands; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None; Hints of Sora/Penelo_

* * *

Riku sat on the pier with Sora and Kairi, watching Selphie and Penelo spar against Wakka and Tidus. The silver-haired boy had sparred, defeated his friends in various groupings, and had opted to sit out after the others finally decided that they just could not beat him.

Soon after, Sora had also decided to sit out, claiming it was not fair to have uneven teams. Considering that the spiky-haired teen said nothing when Riku was fighting teams by himself, Riku suspected it had more to do with Sora's inability to defeat Penelo, which he guessed had nothing to do with skill.

As Sora and Kairi cheered on their friends, Riku shifted his gaze to the water. In truth, Riku was pleased that his friends had decided to give up on defeating him. He did not feel right trying to pick up the threads of his old life, and the action had only reminded him of how much he had changed while they had not.

Sometimes he truly felt that he no longer belonged on this world, but he could not abandon his friends…especially Sora. The blue-eyed boy had done so much because he wanted them to return home together. Clearly, he still needed his best friend around.

Within moments of being reunited, Sora had turned to Riku for guidance. Within hours, Sora would have lost his life a few times over if Riku had not intervened. Within days of returning home, Sora was asking Riku to sleep over at his house. Within a week of returning to their old lives, Sora was dragging Riku around the islands. They had no sooner re-entered school than Sora was begging Riku to help him with his homework.

It had been said before that each of their existences resonated with the other's, and Riku truly believed that. He and Sora were a part of each other, and nothing would ever change that. The events of the past year and a half proved that much. However, he felt that this was true even when they were apart; therefore, he was no longer afraid that he would lose his dear friend.

…But he still could not leave him; not unless he knew Sora would be fine without him. That did not seem likely.

Riku's attention returned to his friends as Kairi giggled while Sora recounted the tale of how he once fought a thousand Heartless single-handedly. Cerulean eyes kept darting toward the blonde girl who was still sparring, although clearly listening as well, while Sora embellished the story quite a bit more from the first time he told Riku about it.

Riku was not the only one to notice the innocent flirtations or the embellishment of the story. Wakka called Sora on a detail that had not been added when he had heard the story and Tidus teased their spiky-haired friend on his crush without pausing from the duel he was currently engaged in with said crush.

Never one to miss a trick, Penelo jumped into the conversation smoothly and then she and Tidus broke into a clever banter. Meanwhile, Kairi had distracted Sora from his embarrassment by asking him a question about one of his groups of friends form another world.

Something about that moment struck Riku, and he suddenly saw with perfect clarity that Sora did not actually need him around.

True, the blue-eyed teen had never had to do anything on his own, but with all of the friends he had all across the universe, he probably never would…and the bond between them would allow Riku to know if he was truly needed.

They would always be a part of the other's life, but Riku was beginning to think that it might actually be better for Sora if he were not around all of the time. He wondered how much of his friend's dependency on him was simply habitual as opposed to necessity.

They would miss each other dreadfully at first, but Riku thought that now, after they had spent so long apart for the first time and saw that they would always be there for each other regardless of distance and circumstances, was probably the best time to attempt such a separation.

Riku continued to watch his friend animatedly tell his tale with the first true smile to touch his lips in what felt like ages. Somewhere along their journey, Sora had finally stepped out of his shadow and into the light…and it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.


	93. Car

_Prompt: Car_

_Given by: Joelpuppy_

_Setting: Twilight Town; KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Sora hopped on top of the trolley car as it passed and rode on top as he looked around; trying to figure out how to get back to the road he had started on.

The motion of the car under him, as well as the act of hopping on top instead of riding inside it as he normally would have seemed oddly familiar. He vaguely recalled doing it before, and thought that boy, Hayner had taught him the trick, but none of that made any sense.

Sora had never been here before, and he only just met Hayner, so the boy could not have taught him this trick.

As he rode around, Sora was again struck by how oddly familiar this town felt, even though he was sure he had never been to it before.

Sora decided his mind must still be drowsy from his extended sleep. This town was like a combination of Traverse Town and Destiny Islands, so that must be why it seemed familiar. Riku always had a unique way of doing things, and never hesitated to share a new trick or idea with Sora. His reasoned that his sleep addled brain was probably just confusing replacing Riku with Hayner, since he had just met the boy but had Riku on his mind.

Sora saw the street that he had been looking for and hopped off the trolley car, it stopped as he ran in front of it and crossed to other side of the road. One of the shop keeps waved at Sora and he smiled and returned the gesture, wondering why that too seemed as familiar as if it were a daily occurrence

The spiky-haired boy shook his head as if to clear it. None of these thoughts made any sense, and he was forgetting what he supposed to be doing.

He needed to find Riku. He needed to find out if his best friend was all right…if he had even escaped from the dark realm.

Sora decided to ignore the sense of familiarity as he hopped on a stray skateboard to speed along his trek to the train station. If the king was there, then he might know about Riku.

Once he and Riku found each other, Sora knew they would figure out the rest together.


	94. Blithesome

_Prompt: Blithesome_

_Given by: QuidditchUSA_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Pre-KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Leon approached the newly constructed house, which Cloud and Zack had recently taken residence in. Yuffie exited and skipped past him as he came near the front door.

"See you later, Squall!" she called from the street.

"It's Leon!" he called after her. The door in front of him opened as he turned to face it.

Cloud was standing in the doorway looking un-amused, as Zack was nearly double over with laughter in the sitting room behind him.

"Are you on your way out?" asked the brunette.

"No, I heard you shouting at Yuffie and decided to let you in," commented Cloud as he stepped aside.

Leon entered and stopped to look at Zack, who was trying to compose himself. "What's with you?"

"I was just watching Yuffie torment Cloud," commented Zack, still trying to suppress his mirth.

"I forgot she was so…" Cloud trailed off.

"Blithesome?" suggested Leon.

"That's a good word for her," said Zack with a nod.

"I was thinking annoying," said the blonde.

"Yeah, but to you, blithesome is annoying," replied the violet-eyed man.

"Is it so much to ask that the woman remain still for more than two minutes?" asked Cloud.

"Okay, so she's blithesome _and _hyperactive…actually, that is an annoying mix," commented Leon.

"Maybe if there were someone else around like her, they could burn each other out a bit before we had to deal with them…," said Zack.

"No one is as bad as Yuffie, and if they are, I don't want to meet them," Cloud responded.

Leon looked pensive, "Wait…wasn't there someone else…?"

"Someone else what, like Yuffie?" asked Zack. "I really think you wouldn't have to strain to remember someone like that."

"I guess not," said Leon. "For a moment there I could have sworn there was somebody like that…"

"Yeah, me too…" Cloud agreed.

Zack switched his glance between the two, "Really? That's strange…but neither of you actually remember someone?"

"No," Cloud replied as Leon simply shook his head.

"Huh, well, it's not like either of you to just forget someone so it's probably nothing," said the raven-haired man.

"Yeah, you're probably right," agreed Cloud. After a brief pause, he turned to Leon. "So what brings you here?"

"I was just checking to see how the new houses are and thought I'd drop by," replied the brunette.

"See? Everyone wants to check and see how little Cloud is setting in," Zack commented with a smirk.

Leon could have sworn the blonde's eye twitched. "Will you stop with that? I've already had to deal with Yuffie; isn't that enough for one day?"

"He does have a point," the steely-eyed man responded.

"When has that ever made a difference with me?" questioned the raven-haired man.

"That's also a good point," conceded Leon with a small smirk.

"Great, I forgot the way you two tended to team up on me," commented Cloud.

"That's the price you pay for hanging out with the big boys," replied Zack with a grin.

Mako Blue eyes rolled, "Whatever."

"Aw, see? He's still trying to be like us," said Zack as he gave Leon a smock-touched look.

Now those same blue eyes narrowed in annoyance. Zack laughed.

"It's good to have you guys back," said Leon.

"I know," Zack responded, "I don't know how you survived with just Yuffie and Aerith for so long…talk about polar opposites."

"Don't forget Cid," said Cloud. "He also had to deal with his foul mouth for all that time."

"Yeah, I might have had to take a leaf out of Sephiroth's book in that situation," commented Zack.

"Don't even kid about that," Cloud warned.

"Aw, are you scared you would lose me?" replied Zack.

Cloud glared at him. Zack laughed again.

"Why it's good to have you back, I'm not sure," commented Leon.

"Oh, come on," said Zack. "You can admit that you missed us. We promise not to tell anyone that you actually expressed a deep emotion."

Leon quirked an eyebrow, "Whatever…"


	95. Comprehend

_Prompt: Comprehend_

_Given by: QuidditchUSA_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Leon and Cloud were on a patrol of the town's border. There were still many Heartless in the Dark Depths, as well as the occasional Sephiroth sighting.

"Zack and Tifa are a lot more interesting to go on patrol with," commented Cloud after the silence had stretched out for far too long between them.

"We're doing this to keep the town safe, not for recreation," replied Leon.

"Yes, and when I'm out here with Tifa or Zack, we still keep the town safe, only we actually speak to one another during the quiet patches," the former SOLDIER responded.

"Then speak," Leon said dryly.

"Are you this quiet when you're out here with Zell or Riku?" questioned Cloud.

"Yes, and they don't seem to have a problem with it," answered the steel-eyed man.

"I can believe that of Riku, but you can't tell me Zell doesn't at least try to start a conversation going," Cloud said incredulously.

"He tries, sometimes he succeeds, but he's used to it when he doesn't and he knows when to stop," answered Leon.

The blonde thought for a moment before replying. "What are you thinking of while you're being so reticent."

"Different things at different times," replied the brunette.

Mako blue eyes glared slightly. "What were you thinking of before I started speaking, then?"

Steel coloured eyes darted to him before returning to the horizon, "I don't think you want to hear this."

Cloud glanced at Leon, "Why?"

"It's about the darkness," answered the brunette.

Cloud's expression darkened at the last word. After a moment of silence, he said, "Go on."

"What?" questioned Leon.

Cloud did not look at him, "Ask."

Leon continued to scout the surrounding area as he responded. "What makes you think it was a question I was thinking of?"

"What would you know of the darkness?" questioned Cloud. "Most of your thoughts on it would be questions."

"I don't think I want to ask if this is the effect it's going to have on you," commented the steel-eyed man.

"If you were wondering about it enough to even bring it up with me, then you're really trying to understand something," said the blonde man. "You're getting close to Riku. I don't want you to ask him."

"I wouldn't ask him," Leon interrupted. "I know how he feels about it and I wouldn't do anything to hurt him…and I can comprehend why he started using it to begin with, and why he continues to. You, however…I can't understand it."

Cloud stumbled before catching himself and glancing at Leon, who was still keeping his gaze on the surrounding area. "You're wondering why I turned to darkness?"

"Yes," answered Leon. "Riku wasn't only a kid; he was an unbelievably innocent kid. If you listen to the stories that he and Sora tell…they were sparring on the beach, having races, climbing trees, buildings rafts, and watching sunsets while dreaming of other worlds…you don't get much purer than that. Both he and Sora trusted the first person who offered them help, even if it was hesitantly, for a reason. I just happened to find Sora first; Maleficent found Riku."

Cloud nodded, and then his eyes narrowed. "She could probably smell his power and his purity a mile away. She manipulated him from the beginning. I'm surprised he was able to get out at all. He must have been in pretty deep by the time he realised what was really going on."

"He doesn't talk about his side of things much, as I'm sure you know," commented Leon, "But the king told me a little about it."

The blonde man turned to look at his friend, "What did he say?"

"Riku defeated the darkness," explained the steel-eyed man, "But he discovered that he could wield it safely. He can actually wear it without it touching his heart. From what the king said, that's just a unique as it sounds."

"I would say 'lucky kid', but I'm not sure if it's worth the price he had to pay," said Cloud.

"I agree," Leon replied. "My point is that I can understand why _he _used the darkness, and why he continues to use it. I can also understand why Maleficent and Xehanort turned to darkness; it was in their nature. What I cannot comprehend, is why _you _turned to it, and why you still tap into it from time to time."

"I though it would give me strength…power," Cloud said quietly. "Growing up with you, Zack, Zell, and Tifa; even Aerith and Yuffie…I was always the weak link. I was never as strong, or fast, or brave, or smart, or tough, or cool, or composed, or powerful…anything that I was, one of or all of you guys were more. Then there was the great Sephiroth…I can't believed I actually idolised him."

"He was one of Ansem's elite guards, who didn't back then?" questioned Leon. "Even Zack wanted to be like him when he grew up."

"Zack didn't turn to the darkness," said Cloud

"Zack disappeared to wherever people on vanished worlds disappear to," Leon retorted. "If Sora and Riku hadn't come along, he would still be out in the void somewhere."

"If given the choice, you would choose nothing over darkness," Cloud stated.

"Yes, hence my inability to understand this on my own," the brunette responded. "It's starting to make sense though, but what did you want power and strength for? You couldn't have done it just to show us up and be like Sephiroth."

"Our world didn't vanish, _Leon_; it was taken from us," Cloud replied. "We all handled that differently. You changed your name and made it your life's goal to restore our world. I went in search of something that would give me the strength to pay the Heartless back in kind, and why not fight fire with fire?"

"Because you ran the risk of becoming heartless if not _a_ Heartless yourself," remarked Leon.

"Well, I realised that eventually," said the former SOLDIER. "But the darkness isn't as easy to drop as it is to pick up. That's part of what makes Riku so special…I don't think anyone else could have cast it away like he did. I know I couldn't… Sometimes, I really do feel like I'm free of it, but then I have to battle Sephiroth, and when I'm angry and caught up in the battle…" The blonde man released a frustrated sigh.

"You think you're not powerful enough, so you tap into that power without thinking," supplied Leon. "Then the cycle starts all over again. Is that it?"

"Pretty much," answered Cloud. "I don't think you'll ever understand why someone would use or turn to the darkness, Leon; you have too much light in you...at least that what Riku says. Zack and I are still under the impression that you're a stoic bitch."

Leon scoffed. "Maybe Riku's onto something, because I honestly don't see how anyone could turn to darkness…but you and Riku aren't anyone, and I understand why each of you did."

Cloud turned to his friend again, "Really?"

Leon nodded, "Now Sephiroth, I still don't understand."

"No one does," replied Cloud, "And that story is too long for anyone to tell over one patrol. I think his tale is even more complicated than Riku's is."

"In that case, I don't think I need to understand Sephiroth," replied Leon.

"We should try to learn Riku's next," said Cloud.

The steel-eyed man smirked. "I was thinking the same thing."

"Think we can?" asked Cloud.

"It's worth trying," answered Leon.


	96. Astute

_Prompt: Astute_

_Given by: QuidditchUSA_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Sora approached the castle ruins with Cid, who had picked him up unexpectedly from the islands. Cloud, Leon, Donald, Goofy, and the king were already there.

They were all facing one another, discussing something in the entrance when the Sora approached with the Gummi pilot beside him.

"What happened?" the spiky-haired teen asked as soon as he reached the others.

"We were checking something by the waterworks, and Riku wanted to check the library before we left," said Cloud, his head lowered. "I saw something move behind one of the lower platforms, so I went to go check that out while he headed to the library. Nothing was there, and when I arrived in the library, Riku had disappeared."

"We've checked the entire castle," added Leon, who also looked downcast. "All we found was this," he held up Riku's shadow anklet. "It was in the castle chapel."

"How long ago did he disappear?" asked Sora.

"Nearly three days," answered the steel-eyed man in a tight voice.

"We don't know if someone snatched Jailbait, or if he just took off for some reason," commented Cid, sounding about as concerned as Sora ever heard the man.

"Garwsh, Riku's anklet never fell off during a fight before," Goofy pointed out.

"Lemme see that," said Cid as he took the anklet from Leon. "It isn't broken…and did any of you close the clasp, or did you find it like this?"

"That's how we found it," answered Cloud. He raised his head and looked at the anklet in the Gummi pilot's hand. "You're right. Either Riku or someone else must have taken it off and closed it before leaving it behind."

"It could be someone's way of letting us know they took him," said Leon, eyes narrowed.

"Who would know he was wearing an anklet?" Sora shook his head slowly. "He's never worn it clearly visible before, it's always hidden under his clothes."

"Riku must have left it behind to let us know that he's okay," said Goofy in an optimistic tone.

"But why would he just leave?" asked Leon, brows drawn slightly in confusion. "He knows he can come to us with anything."

"Garwsh, I don't think he wanted to go either," said Goofy.

"What makes you say that?" asked Sora.

"Well, Riku's a master of shadows, right?" explained Goofy. "If he didn't want us to know where he left from, we wouldn't. So he must have had to go."

"That's actually a rather astute observation," said Leon, looking at the dog-like being thoughtfully. "But why couldn't he just tell us he had to go somewhere…"

"Maybe he didn't want us to try to stop him," said Cloud.

"Maybe he had to chase after someone," suggested Donald.

"Or maybe he had to make a choice real fast," said Mickey. "If he didn't have time to let any of you know that he had to leave, then he would definitely want to make sure you didn't worry too much."

"But why would he have to go, and why would he have to decide so fast?" asked Sora. "I haven't felt the Keyblade call or anything, what about you, your majesty?"

"Nope, I don't think this is a threat to the worlds just yet," answered the small king.

"He'd better be alright," said Leon, as Cid handed the anklet back to him.

"He is," Mickey stated in a certain tone. "He's a part of each of our hearts now…we would feel it if he were lost to us."

"Great, more heart talk," grumbled Cid; "If that kid ain't in trouble when we find him, then he will be after."

"First we need to find him," said Leon.

"Then we can decide whose ass we need to kick," added Cloud.

"Golly," Mickey said as he smiled up at the others. "Riku sure has made some good friends since he came back."

"Yeah," said Sora. "I wonder if he knows that…"

"He does," said Leon, "And we can remind him when we find him."

"See if you can figure out who he left with," said Cid as he turned and headed toward the town. "I'm going to get one of the bigger ships ready."

"Sora, do you want to come on our ship?" asked Donald.

"Sure, but I'm flying…"

Mickey, Leon, and Cloud watched Sora and Donald argue as they left the castle, with Goofy trailing after them.

"_He _was here too," the blonde man said quietly to the others before he turned to go further into the castle.

Mickey and Leon exchanged a knowing glance. "We'll figure it all out once we find Riku," Leon replied as they followed.

Mickey nodded, then spoke quietly, as if to himself, "We're coming, Riku, I promise."


	97. Canker

_Prompt: Canker_

_Given by: TrustintheForce_

_Setting: Pre-KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Riku continued down the road alone. He could still feel that man he so despised inside of him…just waiting for _his _chance to spread throughout the boy, corrupting his mind and infesting his body with darkness.

Arms that had grown longer, fairer, and thinner wrapped around a torso that had done the same. Silver hair that had also grown longer fell forward as Riku lowered his head. He already has his own darkness to contend with…but he had light within him as well. He thought of the king's words on the subject and raised his head with a sigh.

He had finally learned not to fear the darkness or the light, as he could safely wield both, but the boy could not help but fear the power suppressed by his heart…because it was _his _power..._his _darkness. Riku could not quite explain the difference, but it smelled, felt, and even tasted different…like _him_.

Teal eyes squeezed shut behind the thick blindfold that covered them. He would not cry, he would not break, he would not submit. He had stared into the deepest darkness and the brightest light and come out the other side. Riku relaxed his closed and covered eyes. He had come so far, but he still had a long way to go.

He would not be possessed again and he would never succumb to the darkness, but as long as _he_ was inside of him, he would always have to be afraid…and ashamed.

Riku would not go home in shame and fear. He would keep fighting until he found a way to release _his_ hold on him…but he would worry about that later, because right now, home did not matter. The one who made it home was not there. Riku would save Sora first. He could worry about himself after his best friend was all right.

So Riku continued down the road alone. He had grown accustomed to the solitude, the darkness, and the canker in his heart…all just waiting for him to weaken enough to be consumed.

The boy only hoped that he would be able to set things right before that happened.


	98. Advocate

_Prompt: Advocate_

_Given by: TrustintheForce_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None; (poorly) Implied Leon/Riku_

* * *

Leon stepped into the house, looking forward to getting some well-deserved sleep after the long day, but all too soon, he realised that the powers that be did not intend to allow this.

He stopped in his tracks after closing the door behind him and taking two steps forward.

Cloud and Riku were standing on opposites sides of the sofa, facing one another. Riku's jaw was set and his eyes slightly narrowed, yet he also looked as though he were fighting not to cry. Cloud was glaring at the boy in a way that he never glared at any save his enemies, yet there was a concerned quality to his eyes as well. Both looked slightly lost and betrayed.

Steel coloured eyes darted from the man to the teen, as Leon tried to figure out what was going on. There had been some tension between the boy and the former SOLDIER when Leon first allowed Riku to stay with them, due mainly to the boy's unique balance of light and darkness, and his resemblance to Sephiroth, but Leon had thought they got past that after the first couple of weeks.

Neither Riku nor Cloud looked at Leon, or acknowledged his presence in any way.

"He's lost to the darkness," Cloud said none too gently to the boy. "The only thing we can do for him is try to kill him quickly."

"The same was probably thought of both of us for a while," Riku answered thickly. "We overcame the darkness, what if he can too? Isn't it worth trying? What if we can save him?"

"He's too far gone; you don't know what he's capable of…what he's done. Why do you even care?" The blonde man responded harshly. "This doesn't concern you…Keyblade Master or not." Mako blue eyes narrowed dangerously, "Or does it?"

"Is this about Sephiroth?" asked Leon as he walked further into the room, staying between the two.

Both of the others abruptly turned their heads to look at Leon. Before their eyes could meet, Riku turned his away and looked down at a low spot on the wall in the opposite direction. Cloud noticed the boy's reaction and then returned his gaze to Leon, his eyes hardening.

"There _is _a connection between them, isn't there?" He asked harshly. "And you knew it all along."

"Yes to both," answered the brown-haired man evenly, "But this doesn't change anything. He's still Riku…and not Sephiroth."

"I'll decide that for myself after I hear more about this," Cloud said curtly. "Why would you lie to me for this kid?"

"He never asked me to lie to you," Leon's voice was still level. "He even discouraged it, but I know you well enough to guess what your reaction would be. This is after having lived with and known Riku for a few months, what would your reaction have been when he arrived here? …To kill him?"

"Yes, and that might just be a reasonable reaction," retorted the blonde man. His hard gaze shifted between Leon and Riku. "Which of you is going to explain this?"

"There isn't much to explain," Riku responded softly. "I don't even know the whole story, but I have to at least try to help him."

Cloud nearly shouted, "Why? What is he to you?"

Leon took a step toward Cloud, ready to restrain him if need be. "I didn't find out myself until recently," Riku said before raising his head to meet Cloud's gaze. "He's my father."

Cloud looked too stunned to react right away. Mako blue eyes widened and his mouth opened numbly as he just stared, looking quite as if he had been unexpectedly doused with cold water.

Meanwhile, Teal eyes looked torn, pained, confused, slightly apologetic, and a little helpless too. Riku also looked slightly dejected, and quite determined. Leon recognised the need to remain between the two. Neither would back down.

"When- How is that possible?" Cloud's stunned gaze turned to Leon. "You didn't think I should know about this?"

"I thought it was better that you judge Riku for Riku," answered Leon in a firm tone, "And I thought he should have a chance to try to understand it himself before you became involved."

Cloud's eyes narrowed as he turned to Riku, and once again set a harsh glare on the boy. "If you didn't even know about him until recently, then what makes you think that you could make any difference in him? Do you even know what he _is_? As a matter of fact, do you even know what _you _are?"

"I'm Riku," answered the boy defiantly, "Same as I've always been. I've heard of who he's become, as well as who he once was. What if he could return to that…or something close to it…Isn't that worth trying for? You looked up to him once, all of you did; don't you want to try to help him find himself again?"

"No, I don't," answered Cloud harshly, "And I don't want to help you either. As of now, you're on your own kid."

"No he isn't," interrupted Leon firmly. "I doubt I'll be of much use to him, but if Riku needs me, I'm there. I don't turn my back on the people I care about."

Cloud's glare changed targets. His voice was as hard as forged steel when he spoke. "You're actually going to advocate this…_him_?"

"It's not as if the kid has never has never broken the mould before," answered Leon matching Cloud's tone. "If anyone can do this, it's him and even if he can't, he has a right to try. I don't care about Sephiroth either way, but I do care about Riku…I thought you did too."

"I can do it alone," Riku chimed in considerately, turning his gaze to Leon. "I don't want to come between your friendship."

"You aren't doing either," said Leon, his tone and gaze softening as he turned to the boy. "I'm not choosing you over Cloud. I'm simply choosing to help you. If he can't deal with that, then our friendship isn't worth lamenting."

Steel coloured eyes shifted to the blonde man, "Although I thought it was stronger than that."

"He isn't Sephiroth, and he isn't you either," said Cloud. "You're still my friend, Sephiroth is still my enemy, and that kid is neither. I'm not going to hold back on Sephiroth because of this, and if that kid proves to be like his father, I'm not holding back on him either."

"I already said I don't care about Sephiroth, but I do care about Riku," said Leon. "I doubt I'll have to choose sides between you two, so I won't worry about that one yet."

Riku looked between the two men uncertainly, "So what happens now?"

"We each do what we feel we have to," answered the scarred man, "And see where we end up when it's over."

Both Cloud and Riku nodded, and then they turned in opposite directions and walked away from each other. Cloud left the house through the door Leon had entered a moment before, as Riku walked down the hall and into his room.

Leon sighed before heading to his own room, certain that none of them would sleep that night.


	99. Belligerent

_Prompt: Belligerent_

_Given by: TrustintheForce_

_Setting: The Mansion, Twilight Town; KHII opening_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Riku stood completely still, watching the data flow across the screen before him. To most people, it would be a blur of impossible to decipher codes, but to him, it was an image of four kids, hanging out at their usual spot and talking about nothing of importance…exactly what he wished he and his best friend could be doing at that moment.

His determination, already as solid as steel, hardened even further, if they were successful in this, then maybe that would be possible again someday…just maybe.

Pence and Olette seemed to fade into the background as Hayner and Roxas spoke to one another. Riku mused that if someone else were watching, someone who knew what was really going on, they might be inclined to think that Roxas was like Sora, and therefore, Hayner would be his Riku and Olette his Kairi. However, that person would clearly not be looking past the surface.

Olette and Kairi had little in common personality wise. Kairi was much more laid-back, less practical, and a lot lazier than Olette. Kairi would be the one he would have to remind about a summer free study project, which she would happily leave until the last week of summer vacation. Olette would never harbour the kinds of dreams and flights of fancy that Kairi did, and certainly would never help in building a raft to see other worlds.

Hayner and Roxas were both rather belligerent and always seemed a little angry or frustrated. Sora and Riku had never been that way. Even back when they had their friendly rivalries, and Riku had been notably cockier than he was now, they kept it light and never felt any real hostility. Neither of them would have thought of payback or blame offhand just because there was a misunderstanding around town

Although Riku had to admit, they pushed, encouraged, supported, and trusted one another the way he and his friends did…he wondered how much that would change if they were ever able to just be together again.

There was one more notable difference between the Twilight Town group of friends and he and his friends…the former were not real. Riku was reminded of this, as he had to enter the system and flush some Nobodies out before they could alert Roxas to the truth.


	100. FUBAR

_Prompt: FUBAR_

_Given by: Wannamakegoodmovies_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None; Implied Leon/Riku_

_Author's note: For those who do not know, FUBAR is an acronym, which stands for Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition. By the way, does anyone remember Dangers?_

* * *

Cloud and Leon walked down the street as the city grew darker and colder. Most of Radiant Garden's inhabitants were already safely indoors, and those who were left were giving the two men a wide birth. Whether this was due to their reputations, Cloud's angry expression and Leon's determined one, or the rather large swords strapped to them, they were not sure nor did they care. 

"I'm surprised you decided to join me on this," Cloud said without pausing. "You aren't usually one for vengeance."

"This is protection," stated the brunette. "If they get away with hurting Riku like this once, they might try to again…especially since they probably know he _chose _not to hurt them…he could have if he was willing to."

"You don't think making him wear Griever was enough?" questioned the blonde man. "I've never seen you without it before…anyone would know the kid means a lot to you."

Leon glanced at Cloud, "Are you going somewhere with that?"

"Why would you do that…And why did Riku only tell _you _all the details of what happened?" asked Cloud. "You can't say you didn't expect everyone to wonder exactly what is going on between you two."

"They would know that he means something to me and everyone knows I defend what's mine," said Leon levelly. "I can't say why Riku only told me so much; that was his choice. Considering that you and Yuffie were already plotting vengeance, I could see why he would want to make sure I was involved if you chose to act on those plans."

"Why do you say that?" Cloud suddenly glanced at the other man, "And do you realise that you just referred to Riku as yours?"

"Because he trusts that I won't let you go too far," said Leon with a hint of annoyance, "And yes, I do."

Cloud opened his mouth to respond, but then his eyes narrowed at a group of men down the road. "I think that's them."

Steel coloured eyes followed the blonde's gaze before narrowing as well; "It is."

Seven rather large, notably armed, and rough looking men were sitting or standing in front of a bar, several were smoking and they were all laughing and talking to one another. They were the type of group that most people would cross the street to avoid walking past. Leon and Cloud made a beeline toward them without altering their steady pace.

One of the men noticed their approach and quietly alerted his companions, all of whom turned to face Leon and Cloud. A few of the men looked slightly anxious at their approach, a couple looked unconcerned, and the last pair looked ready for a fight.

One of the unconcerned looking men threw down his cigarette. "Did you two have something to say?" he asked roughly.

"Yes," said Cloud sharply. "You shouldn't have touched him."

"Oh…this is about the twilight child," said one of the men who looked ready to fight. Then he continued with a smirk; "You know, for a kid supposedly wrapped up in the darkness, he really didn't have much fight in him… It was almost as if he were afraid to use it…he even cried when we started to _really _lay into him." Several of the other perpetrators laughed at this.

Leon's eyes hardened, "You're going to regret that."

With that, he drew his Gunblade and attacked.

Cloud drew his sword as well, while the men they were attacking drew their own weapons.

Leon fired Revolver at one of the men's shoulders before using the blade to block a quarterstaff attack aimed at his abdomen. Cloud kicked the man he was duelling in the groin before bringing his blade down across this opponent's back. Leon twisted, causing the man holding the staff to stumble forward. He then struck the man in the back of the head with the base of his weapon.

Another man struck Cloud in the back of his shoulder with a ninja star; the former SOLDIER turned and lunged at the man. Leon blocked an attack with a short sword and then snapped out his led to kick the man in the shin.

As the man fell, Leon blocked and parried another attack from another swordsman before he sidestepped toward Cloud and his opponent, and used Revolver to block Cloud's sword before he could inflict a fatal wound.

"Cloud," Leon snapped as he slid his blade down the other man's before bringing it up to block another attack. He quickly pushed the opponent back, before finishing his statement. "You can beat them beyond recognition for all I care, but you cannot just kill them!"

"I'm not running them through or anything, but if they don't make it, good riddance," commented Cloud as he parried another attack.

"I told you I was not helping you with revenge," said Leon, still duelling as well, "We're making a point."

"I think the point will come across either way," Cloud retorted.

Leon grabbed his friend's arm. "Do you really think Riku won't feel responsible for this if you go that far? Do you want to put their deaths on his conscience?"

The blonde hesitated a moment before opening his mouth to respond, however he fell silent and both men turned as a bright light suddenly beamed down on the other side of the group of fighters.

The gang Leon and Cloud had been fighting staggered and turned as best they could when a man with long silver hair and black wings descended before the light vanished.

Sephiroth's pupils were the thinnest of slits when he raised his head and Masamune appeared in his hand as he stepped forward.

"Your argument is about to become irrelevant," Sephiroth said with a glance at Cloud and Leon; just after speaking, he raised his free hand and several orbs of dark energy surrounded the men that had attacked Riku mere days before. "Cloud… Leonhart… Leave."

"Cloud, move," Leon snapped as he pushed the former SOLDIER away from the area. He doubted Sephiroth was going to leave any recognisable remains and would not bet that he would concern himself with ensuring the safety of any innocent parties who happened to be caught in the fray.

Leon and Cloud were the only ones to be unsurprised and unmoved when seven men were announced missing two days later, and they made it a point to prevent Riku from reading the newspaper for the next week.


	101. BRAVO

_Prompt: BRAVO_

_Given by: Wannamakegoodmovies_

_Setting: The World That Never Was; Pre-CoM_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

"Why are we doing this again?" asked Axel as he dropped his voice and tilted his head towards the Nobody beside him. 

"Because someone somehow managed to convince the boss to continue these stupid team building exercises in an effort to keep the Organization functioning more efficiently," answered Demyx as he adopted a similar position.

"Ah, another teamwork exercise," said Axel with a slight nod, "…And Zexion is up front because…?"

"He's the only one organised enough to come up with this program and schedule," explained the blonde Nobody. "Didn't you read the memo?"

"Er…it got singed," mumbled the redhead. Demyx shook his head with a grin.

"I think this one isn't going to be as entertaining though," said the Melodious Nocturne.

"Yeah," the fiery Nobody agreed, "Zexy needs to lighten up."

"Did I miss anything?" asked Roxas as he joined the others.

"No," replied Axel, "Why are you so late, anyway?"

"Larxene…long story," responded number XIII.

"Ah, say no more," said Demyx sympathetically.

"If I may have everyone's attention," said Zexion from the front of the room, looking pointedly at Axel and Demyx, who stopped talking and smirked at him. "Thank you; Now, Lexaeus will be passing out some pamphlets, please look over these as you receive them."

Demyx, Axel, and Roxas took the pamphlets that he silent Hero handed to each of them.

"Anyone else notice that Lexaeus is usually Zexion's bitch?" asked Axel, watching the large Nobody walk away from them.

"It is odd," agreed Demyx.

"What does B.R.A.V.O mean?" asked Roxas.

"It explains it inside the pamphlet," replied Demyx in an amused tone as he mock demonstrated how the pamphlets unfold.

Axel chuckled as the youngest member of the Organization shot the other blonde a light glare before opening his pamphlet. "_Building Responsibility and Valuing Organization_," the blue-eyed Nobody read aloud.

"Oh look," said Axel in mock-excitement, "He scheduled chore assignments for us and came up with a new organising system for our files and reports."

"By following this new schedule, as far as our individual assignments allow," said Zexion once everyone had a chance to look over said schedule, "We should all become more responsible in our assignments, build a greater respect for one another, and understand the value of organisation, as well as _the _Organization."

"Is he serious?" asked Roxas.

"Is he ever not?" questioned Axel.

"Actually, I think he just made an attempt at humour," said Demyx thoughtfully.

"But he actually expects us to adhere to this?" said number XIII, holding up the proposed schedule.

"Yeah, that part he was serious about," answered number IX.

"Well, you can't expect him to just dive into the concept of humour," remarked number VIII. "He has to ease into it."

"Why do I have the shittiest chore assignments?" questioned Roxas in annoyance.

"Because you're the lowest ranking member," Demyx responded easily.

"…And shit travels downhill," added Axel.

"I hate you guys," said Roxas.

"Yeah, with your whole non-being, I'm sure," retorted Demyx.

"Oh come on Roxas," said Axel, "You know you love with all of your little non-existent black heart." Both of the blondes snickered at this.

"Exactly," said Roxas, amusement evident in his tone.

Red eyebrows furrowed, "Wait, that didn't come out right…"

"Uh, are we supposed to be paying attention?" asked Demyx when he realised that Zexion had continued speaking after a brief pause.

"Who cares?" asked Roxas. "It's not like this is going to last any longer than the previous attempts at building teamwork did."

"Besides, it looks like Larxene is going to go for Zexy's throat before he finishes his little tirade anyway," commented Axel.

"Think Lexaeus will stop her?" asked Roxas.

"I really doubt he'll have to," said Demyx. "Zexion _does _have talents beyond manipulation and research; he just doesn't use them often."

"Yeah, don't you remember that game we tried playing…what was it called again?" Axel looked at Demyx. "That one Luxord thought would build teamwork."

"Rugby," said Demyx with a chuckle.

Roxas rolled his eyes, "Boy was that a waste of time."

"It had its moments," said the Melodious Nocturne.

"That's true," agreed Axel. "And it looks like we might get a repeat of the lexicon intervention."

"Larxene _does _look pissed," said Roxas.

"And Zexy is well aware of it," stated Axel.

"I say we sneak out while everyone's distracted," said Demyx.

"Sounds good to me," agreed the fiery Nobody.

"Where are we going?" asked the youngest.

"We'll figure it out when we get out of the castle," replied Demyx.

"Why don't we just open a path in the hall?" questioned Roxas.

"Because it's less fun that way," said Axel.

"You guys have done this before haven't you?" asked number XIII.

"Yep," replied Axel with a smirk.

Roxas glanced between the other two. "Do I want to know?"

"Nope," replied Demyx.

Roxas rolled his eyes before setting them on his best friend. "Okay, fine…I'm in."

The smirk was still in place as Axel responded. "It wouldn't be the same without you anyway."

Both glared at Demyx as he began to hum _My Funny Friend and Me _with a grin.

"I'm kicking his ass when we get out of here," muttered Axel.

"Just remember that fire doesn't work against him this time," said Roxas.

"Oh yeah," said Axel, "I hate that about him."

"What are you guys muttering about?" asked Demyx.

"Nothing," the best friends chorused before grinning at one another.

"_Sure_…" Demyx responded, his green eyes full of amusement.

* * *

_Author's note: This series is receiving a lot of hits, but not very much feedback, which I am all right with. However, I would like to point out that this series is not going to continue for much longer unless I get in some more word lists. You may send them via PM or in a review. Also, since I have topped 100, I am going to pull a leaf from Jediempress' book and allow those who have already sent in promt lists to send in another if they would like to. Thank you to everyone who has been reading this series, especially those who have offered their encouragement and opinions._


	102. YAHOO

_Prompt: YAHOO_

_Given by: Wannamakegoodmovies_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Leon/Riku, Tifa/Rude, Zack/Aerith, Sora/Penelo, Cid/Shera, Tseng/Elena, & Past Vincent/Lucrecia_

_Author's Note: For those who do not know, YAHOO is an acronym that, among other things, can stand for Yet Another Helpful Operation Origin. My friend who submitted the prompt intended for it to have this meaning, so that is what I went with._

* * *

Yuffie finished reading her letter from Vincent. She was quite pleased to hear that her friend was doing well. After he lost Lucrecia during the takeover, Yuffie had worried that her friend would not be able to cope. Now, he and Reeve were improving and practically running Traverse Town.

The hyperactive ninja hopped off the desk she had been sitting on, folding the letter and stuffing it in her pocket before skipping out of the study. On her way out of the building, she passed Leon and Riku, who were looking over a complex schematic for a computer program. The elder was standing slightly behind the boy and over to the side; so that his head was beside the teen's when he leaned down to see the diagram.

Yuffie, as well as several of the others, had been wondering about the closeness and trust building between the boy and their unofficial leader. No one could quite put a title to their relationship, and neither of the males in question were volunteering any information. However now, as she watched them while they were unaware of her and everything except the paperwork before them, Yuffie wondered how no one had noticed what she was seeing now.

Both were much closer to each other then they would ever stand with anyone else…Leon was actually pressed against the boy. Riku's arm grazed against Leon's as he pointed out something on the schematic, and Leon brushed some hair out of the boy's face and tucked it behind a pale ear before resting his hand on the small of Riku's back and leaning over to look at what the boy was indicating.

Yuffie smiled to herself as she snuck out and then skipped along, heading to the other side of town. She passed Cid on her way, who offered a quick greeting but was otherwise distracted by the conversation he was having with Shera on his cell phone. It seemed his wife was asking him to pick up a part for their sink on his way home. Yuffie waved and continued on her way.

Shortly after, Yuffie passed a small café that had recently opened. In one of the booths against the front window, the hyperactive ninja could see a few more of her friends. Tifa and Rude were sitting on one side of the table. His arm was wrapped around her shoulders comfortably, and her right hand was absently rubbing his left thigh as she spoke to Zack, who was sitting across from Rude. The fingers of the former SOLDIER's right hand were intertwined with Aerith's as their entwined hands rested in her lap, while her head leaned easily against his shoulder. All four were smiling and looking completely content.

Deciding not to interrupt, Yuffie moved along, but Sora, who was visiting their world, stopped her soon after. The spiky-haired boy wanted Yuffie's opinion on some daggers he was looking at. He wanted to get one for his girlfriend back home, Penelo, who was skilled with the small weapons. After choosing one that was not too decorative to be less useful, but not terribly plain, the boy paid for the gift and Yuffie began teasing him as they walked together through the Marketplace.

After while they noticed Reno and Zell, who were talking to a couple of pretty women in front of Scrooge's ice cream shop. Ever since Tseng and Elena had gotten together, and Rude had finally asked Tifa out, Reno had been playing the field a bit more. He and Zell seemed to have different approaches though, and neither appeared to feel any particular need to find someone. Yuffie guessed they were more like her; comfortable with themselves and having enough friends that they never felt lonely, so they felt no rush to find this 'one true love' that the stories spoke of and their other friends seemed to have found. They were comfortable in being alone.

Yuffie's smile brightened, glad to see all of her friends so happy, until she noticed another friend, one who was not comfortable with himself, and who was certainly not happy. Her smile faltered as she noticed Cloud standing by himself and looking out to the horizon. Cloud _hated_ being alone; All of his friends knew this, even though he would never admit it.

When he had first returned after the whole Heartless takeover, Aerith always made it a point to seek him out when he started brooding. Yuffie had thought that they would end up together, but then Zack also found his way back home, and he and Aerith had picked up right where they left off.

Then, Tifa had also returned to their home world, and had actively searched for Cloud everywhere. When the two were finally reunited and began spending nearly all of their time together, Yuffie thought that maybe Cloud had been waiting for her all along. Then, Rude came into the picture and now there was no way Tifa was leaving him.

By that point, Riku had come to live on their world, and Cloud immediately seemed drawn to the boy. Both were quiet, had dark and mysterious issues, and tended to spend a lot of time alone. Yuffie figured it was in the bag with that one. However, it seemed as if Cloud had missed his chance with Riku, who was undoubtedly Leon's…even if they had not told anyone yet.

Sora noticed the drop in his usually cheerful friend's mood and Yuffie was pulled out of her musings when the blue-eyed boy asked if she was all right. When he followed her gaze and expressed a similar concern about Cloud's lonely status, Yuffie's smile returned as a brilliant idea came to her.

The two friends headed out toward The Borough right away with identical mischievous grins to plan 'Operation Help Cloud Find Someone'.


	103. Tears

_Prompt: Tears_

_Given by: Taora_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; (way) Pre-KH_

_Pairing: Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi)_

* * *

A young man, nearly twenty-one, with shoulder length silver hair and sea green eyes sat in the hospital's waiting room. His son, less than a year old, lay curled in his lap, asleep and yet still clinging to his father.

The boy was too young to know what was happening, but he understood that something was very wrong, and had instinctively clung to his father. The usually quiet baby cried and screamed if he tried to hand him to anyone else.

Sephiroth stroked his child's hair, which was the same colour and texture as his own, while he stared blankly at the wall across from him. No one could know that the woman he brought in was his wife, his love, the mother of his child…and his victim.

Therefore, he could not demand the answers or speak the concerns that he wanted to. More than ever, he wished their involvement did not have to remain a secret, but Riku would never be safe if certain people knew the truth.

He would have to speak to Hojo…no, Ansem, he decided. He had kept Hojo's side experiment, himself, a secret for twenty years, but no more…not if his wife and child would be at risk.

Riku snuggled further against him, and he felt a tightening in his chest as he looked down at the boy.

Sephiroth had been experiencing strange symptoms for some time. First, there were moments when he could not remember what had happened or what he had done. Then he started to hear _her_…afterwards he would have flashes of emotions that were not his own. Then the episodes occurred more often, sometimes he would find himself at a location he could not recall travelling to, with blood on his clothes that was not his own. He thought that would be the worst of it; he had contacted Hojo, and the scientist was supposed to be finding a way to resolve the problem, but it was taking too long.

…And now this had happened.

Sephiroth could not recall all of the details, but he remembered enough. He and Hilargi had been having a simple dispute, not at all uncommon for a young couple, recently married and with a new baby, but then _she _had started speaking to him. _Her _voice eventually drowned out Hilargi's and without meaning to, or even realising what he was doing, he had attacked.

Now, thousands of questions flooded his mind… What was happening to him? Who was _she_? Why did _she _have this power over him? How could he control this? What if he had not come back to his senses in time? What if Hilargi was permanently injured? What if the same thing happened while he was alone with Riku?

He wrapped his arms protectively around his sleeping son. He would rather die than harm his child…or his wife, but he had already done that.

For the first time that Sephiroth could remember, tears began to fill his eyes as he realised what he would have to do.

Sephiroth could not put Riku at risk. His son was no longer safe with him, and Hojo could not find out about the boy. He would wait until Hilargi had recovered, if she would indeed recover, and then he would convince her to take their child and leave. If Ansem or Hojo could cure him, then he could find them after. Until then, he would not put them in danger.

A stray tear fell down his cheek and landed on Riku's, which was already as fair and delicately structured as his father's was. Teal eyes slowly opened and quickly searched for Sephiroth, before the boy hugged his father tighter and drifted back to sleep when Sephiroth stroked his head and told him it was going to be all right.

He schooled his features into an expression of calm indifference, which his breeding and training had allowed him to perfect, as he wondered if he had just lied to his son.


	104. Separation

_Prompt: Separation_

_Given by: Taora_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; (way) Pre-KH_

_Pairing: Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi)_

* * *

Hilargi looked up as Sephiroth entered the recovery room. He gently laid their sleeping son on the next bed, as she was the only patient in the room, before turning to face her.

Icy blue eyes searched sea green ones before she released a relived sigh. "How has he been?"

"Upset," answered Sephiroth. "He cannot stand to be separated from me, even for a short moment."

"He loves you…and he feels secure with you," Hilargi stated before her tone turned dangerously serious. "Seph…what happened back there? That wasn't you."

"It was _her_," he answered. "Hilargi, I-"

"I know," she interrupted gently before continuing in a clipped tone, "It's not you I'm angry at; it's Hojo. How could he do this to you? I know he is supposed to be trying to help you now, but I don't trust him. I think you should go to Ansem the Wise. You're one of his elite guards and he trusts you. He-"

"I have already seen him," Sephiroth interrupted. "I spoke to both he and Hojo -separately of course- yesterday…after they told me you would survive."

"This isn't you're fault, Seph," Hilargi said firmly. "We will get through this together. Now that Ansem is involved, I'm sure-"

"He is going to arrange for you and Riku to be sent off world," Sephiroth cut in, looking at their son.

"What?" Hilargi looked hurt and confused…then angry. "No! Sephiroth, I will not leave you like this! We can help you. You've never known when she took over before, and you've never been able to recover yourself like that."

"Hilargi, think about what I've done," said Sephiroth, turning to face her again. "You very nearly died and your body shall never fully recover. Your heart has been weakened too much to regain its strength. What if I had not been able to regain control? I might have-"

"You didn't," Hilargi was close to tears now, which meant she was beginning to understand. She was just too stubborn to give in without fighting. "I know what to look for now. Your eyes and tone changed. I can-"

"You cannot overpower or outrun me," Sephiroth stated.

"I'll take my chances," she responded. "It's my choice whether I stay or go and I am not going."

"That is true, but Riku is my son as well," blue eyes widened as green turned to the boy once again "I will not take such a chance with him. What if I cannot regain control next time? What if I hurt _him _next time? I will not risk it. Would you?"

Icy blue eyes began to water, "No…I- I don't want to risk him, but I don't want to lose you either…"

"Riku spoke his second word yesterday," Sephiroth said in a strained tone, the boy had only spoken the word _dada_ before. "He called _her _'Mama'."

Now Hilargi was crying softly, "No…"

"I cannot protect him like this," Sephiroth admitted painfully. "If Hojo finds out…" His tone was resolved as he continued, "Once I am cured, Ansem will want a full investigation on what Hojo had been doing. I will cooperate fully. Hojo will be banished, and after that, it will be safe for Riku to be here and we won't have to keep everything a secret any longer."

"That would be wonderful…You wouldn't have to lie about your father, your wife, or your son any more…and I could finally tell everyone who Riku's father is, and of our marriage," Hilargi had begun almost wistful, but her tone grew serious again quickly. "There are a couple of holes in this plan though. How will we return when this is over? How will I know when it's safe for him to return?"

"Ansem will know where you are," Sephiroth said in a calming tone. "If he or Hojo manage to cure me, he will tell me where to find you."

"_When _they cure you," Hilargi corrected thickly. "With both Ansem and Hojo trying, they will surely find a way."

"Then this separation is only temporary," Sephiroth spoke softly. "Once it's safe, I will come for both of you."

"We'll be waiting," Hilargi said, with a glance toward their son. She often found it odd that no one directly asked if Sephiroth was the father. True, the boy looked like her, but he had his father's colouring and fine features. Icy blue eyes turned back to Sephiroth. "Don't make us wait too long."

"Not if I can help it," he said. "I do plan to watch our son grow up with you."

She nodded slowly, and her voice sounded drowsy when she responded. "That would be an awful thing to miss."

"That it would," Sephiroth agreed quietly as she fell into a deep sleep.

Sephiroth pushed her hair out of her face and left a chaste kiss on her forehead before gently picking up Riku, who instantly snuggled into the embrace, and silently leaving the room.


	105. Justice

_Prompt: Justice_

_Given by: Taora_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Implied Leon/Riku_

* * *

Yuffie skipped up to the Bailey, where Riku was sitting on the edge, gazing over The Great Maw, but not appearing to see it. The silver-haired boy was so immersed in his thoughts that he did not even appear to notice the hyperactive ninja's approach.

Yuffie tilted her head as she observed the boy for a moment. Leon's Griever pendant hung against his chest, and he reached up one hand to hold it as he thought.

"Hey…you okay?" asked Yuffie after a moment.

"Hmm…?" Riku's eyes focused and then he glanced at the petite ninja. "Oh, yeah…sorry about that; I was just thinking."

"What were you thinking about?" asked Yuffie in a forced casual tone.

Teal eyes glanced at her again, "Alright, what's going on?"

Yuffie looked as though she were going to play innocent for a moment, but then decided against it as she deflated. "Okay, I heard Leon and Cloud talking about how they were concerned because you've seemed down ever since the attack last week and I promised Sora when you moved here that I would try to cheer you up when you got too introverted."

Riku blinked, "Okay…Why do all of them feel the need to look after me when I get a little down? Do they think I'm going to become a recluse or suicidal or something?"

"No clue," answered Yuffie, "You aren't, are you? 'Cause they'd be really upset if you were."

"No, I'm not," answered Riku as he turned back toward the view.

"Oh, Good; I was worried for a minute there," said Yuffie lightly. "So, what _are _you thinking about?"

"Those men that attacked me last week are missing…all of them," answered Riku ruefully.

"Uh…Isn't that a good thing?" question Yuffie, sounding genuinely confused. "They weren't good people. They hurt you really badly for no reason."

"They had a reason," the silver-haired boy said softly.

"Riku, you were what, seven, when this world was taken by the Heartless," said Yuffie. "You had nothing to do with it. So what if you got caught up with Maleficent years later? You still didn't do anything _too _bad. You were just trying to help your friends."

"So you had nothing to do with it then." It was not a question, so Riku continued without waiting for an answer. "There's only one...well, maybe two others who would go this far…"

"You're still talking like this is a bad thing," commented Yuffie. "Justice was served, isn't that good?"

"This isn't justice, its vengeance," said Riku. "I'm not interested in revenge…I've seen what it can do to someone. I don't want that to happen to any of them."

"You're talking about Ansem the Wise, aren't you?" said Yuffie, looking as though she were straining to recall something. "I heard Leon telling Zell about King Mickey…I guess the king said you were a victim of Ansem's revenge…I don't know. It's sort of over my head, but I know nothing like that would happen with Cloud or Leon."

"_Leon_?!" Riku's head snapped up and he turned to look at the hyperactive ninja with shock, concern, and disappointment in his eyes. "I figured Cloud would do something like this, but I didn't think Leon would go that far. It's not like those guys were beaten like I was…they're _gone _Yuffie."

"Well, you do have a point there, that isn't like Leon," agreed Yuffie, nonplussed. "Maybe Cloud went too far…or the guys took off afterwards or maybe even when they saw Leon and Cloud coming? Anyway, you shouldn't be so surprised. Leon loves you, even if he doesn't say it, of course he'd do _something_."

"I didn't want to be avenged though," said the teal-eyed boy. "I don't deserve to be."

"Yes you do," said Yuffie with a roll of her eyes. "And I doubt Leon meant to avenge you as much as protect you. He's big on that sort of thing."

Riku nodded slowly, as his hand reached up to hold Griever again. He seemed to be deep in thought once more. "Where did you say you saw Leon before you came here?"

"At the Postern with Cloud, why...?" Yuffie responded, seeming thrown off by the change in topic.

"I'm going to ask him if he knows what happened," answered Riku.

"You aren't going to be mad at him if he was involved, are you?" asked Yuffie.

"No…If he did this, which I doubt, then I know he did it for the right reasons," Riku stated evenly. "Maybe he didn't have any choice, or maybe someone else beat him to it."

"Like who? Cloud?" questioned Yuffie.

"Maybe…" Riku hopped off the edge.

"Okay…well, if he _did _do something, and I'm with you on that idea, then just try to remember that it isn't your fault, okay?" Yuffie said quickly.

Riku blinked and then turned back to the hyperactive Ninja. "I can see why Sora asked you to try to fill in for him on the cheering thing. Thanks Yuffie." The silver-haired boy took off in the direction she said Leon had been.

"Hey! What does _that _mean?" called Yuffie, although she made no move to follow the boy. It completely escaped her attention that he did not respond to what she asked of him.


	106. Cerulean

_Prompt: Cerulean_

_Given by: Truthsetfree_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Yuffie and Aerith sat at the bar as Tifa arranged the newly delivered bottles of liquors and spirits on the shelves behind it. 

"You know," said Yuffie as she looked out one of the windows to where Leon, Zack, Cloud, Riku, Zell, and Reno were working on a building across the road. "I never knew there were so many different types of blue eyes. I mean, I thought it was just blue, green, brown…you know?"

"Well you and Tifa both have brown eyes, technically speaking, but they're very different shades," responded Aerith. "Hers are mahogany while yours are more of a chocolate brown."

"And Rude's are russet," added Tifa. "Aerith and Sephiroth both have green eyes, but Aerith's are emerald green and Sephiroth's are sea green."

"They still aren't as different as some of theirs," replied the hyperactive ninja, indicating the group across the road.

"That's true," said Tifa. "There definitely are a lot of different shades in that group."

"Yeah," said Yuffie, "Like, Cloud has cerulean eyes, but Reno's are an icy blue."

Aerith turned on her stool to look out at the group as well. "You're right. Zack's eyes are more of a violet, while Leon's are definitely steel blue."

Tifa nodded, "Riku's are definitely green-blue, like teal or aquamarine…and Zell's are more of a sky blue."

"Sora's are cobalt and Kairi's are almost purple," Yuffie said as she thought of said teens.

"Then you have some of the odd ones," said Tifa.

"Like what?" asked Yuffie.

"Well, Ansem the Wise and Xehanort both had amber eyes," commented Aerith, "At least that's what Riku said...I don't think I ever saw either of them myself."

"Most of the folks from Disneyland don't even have colour in their eyes…And Vincent's are crimson," stated Tifa, "You can't say that didn't throw you off at first."

"No…actually it didn't," said Yuffie. "The amber eyes are creepy though. They remind me of the Heartless." Both of the other women nodded slightly.

"Well, we certainly are a colourful group," said Aerith.

"Yeah, in more ways than one," commented Tifa.


	107. Somnolence

_Prompt: Somnolence_

_Given by: Truthsetfree_

_Setting: Twilight Town Mansion; Pre-KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Naminé was looking for DiZ when she entered the room that contained Sora's sleeping chamber. She stopped in the entrance when she saw that it was not DiZ, but Riku who was standing before the chamber.

The blindfolded boy was still and quiet, with his head turned up slightly. Were it not for the blindfold across his eyes, it would have appeared that he was staring into the face of his slumbering best friend.

Sora's unnatural somnolence seemed to upset his silver-haired friend very much. Riku always looked so sad and ashamed when he saw the spiky-haired boy in the chamber, yet he made sure to come there everyday when he was in Twilight Town.

Naminé had no trouble admitting that she lacked a heart, or that she had trouble understanding hearts most of the time. DiZ always said that a Nobody could never hope to obtain that knowledge. Riku said that she was confused because she was wiser then DiZ when it came to matters of the heart, and that no one truly understood them.

The blonde Nobody thought, as she watched Riku lower his head sorrowfully, that he had the most complex heart of any she had encountered. She wondered if that was why he understood the complexities of the heart well enough to admit how little he knew.

A pale hand rose to gently touch the glass chamber, and Naminé realised that Riku was saying goodbye. She knew of the task DiZ had asked the boy to complete, and that Riku would walk to his own death if it would save his friend and set things right with the worlds.

She hoped that Riku, whom she considered a friend, would not have to remain in the shadows for much longer, but she had a feeling a heart like his would not stay hidden forever.

Riku left without a word, and Naminé adopted the habit of sitting with Sora for a while everyday. She wondered if the sleeping boy would know how much his friend had changed when he woke up. She liked to think that his heart would sense all that Riku had tried to tell him over the past year.

However, Naminé always did admit that she knew little about hearts. So when Sora was finally free of his hibernation and he set off to find his friend without bothering to check the shadows around him, Naminé was not very surprised, but she was a little disappointed.

She wondered if Riku felt the same way.


	108. Glimmer

_Prompt: Glimmer_

_Given by: Truthsetfree_

_Setting: Destiny Islands; (way) Pre-KH_

_Pairing: Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi)_

* * *

Hilargi sighed and looked up from the park bench she was reading on to check on her five-year-old son. Riku was on the other side of the playground, by himself as usual and going through the rounds with his little toy sword. He seemed determined to master the art of swordsmanship by the time he reached ten.

The tiny yard attached to their little apartment was completely devoted to their garden, and so Hilargi had made sure to bring Riku to the park or beach as often as she could. She knew it was only a matter of time before Riku started coming without her, with how independent he was already becoming. She supposed that was good, as her health had grown worse. She suspected it would be even poorer on their home world, where it was not as warm.

A smile touched Hilargi's lips as she watched her son. He certainly had inherited his father looks and his skills with a sword. Hilargi almost felt as if she were watching a miniature version of her husband as the boy repeated his movements with an unconscious grace that most children his age could never achieve.

The smile faded as she heard some boys Riku's age laughing while their fathers played with them in the sand. Sephiroth had wanted to teach Riku swordsmanship when he was old enough. He had wanted to do many things with his son, who had quickly become the light of his life after he was born. Hilargi could still remember the way Sephiroth had smiled when he first held Riku. She had never seen him smile like that before…

Then, everything changed and she and Riku had to leave for the child's safety…as well as her own. It was supposed to be temporary, but long days had turned into fretful weeks and lonely months, and now nearly five years had passed since she and Riku had come here.

Sephiroth had not come, and Ansem had not sent any word.

Hilargi was a practical woman, and she realised that the odds of them ever seeing one another again were bleak. She hoped that she was wrong, that it was just taking longer than expected, and that Sephiroth would return to them one day…but in her heart, she had never felt so alone. She knew what that meant.

Hilargi hated it every time Riku asked about Sephiroth, especially when he questioned why he was not there with them and if he ever would come home. Hilargi did not want to give him false hope, but she also could not bear to douse the glimmer of faith that he kept within his heart.

At first, she had made it a point to tell Riku about his father, not wanting him to be unfamiliar with Sephiroth when he came to take them home. She left out all of the details about their home world, Sephiroth's origins, and Hojo's experiments, but she wanted him to know about Sephiroth. Over time, however, it grew harder to talk about him.

Hilargi was ashamed to admit that Riku seemed to have noticed this, as his questions about Sephiroth decreased, yet she often found him starring at the sky, as if waiting for Sephiroth himself. She also found him curled up on his bed sometimes, just looking at the only photo of his father he had, which she had given him when she found him sneaking into the cellar to look at it a year before.

Hilargi had begun to feel trapped on the islands as time stretched out. She knew Ansem had probably chosen this world for her health and Riku's safety…Hojo would never look for him here if he did learn about him, and Sephiroth probably did not even now that this world existed. However, that did not stop her from feeling like a prisoner, kept contained by water, fear, and ignorance. The worlds could not reach her and she could not reach them.

She shook these thoughts from her mind when she realised Riku had stopped his swordplay and was watching her curiously. She smiled and waved at him and he returned the gestures before he turned and continued practicing with his sword, trying to hide the glance he shot at the other boys playing with their dads as he did so.

Hilargi frowned at both the longing in Riku's eyes (she guessed she would be glad they were so expressive when he got older- he would never be able to lie) and the way he so casually continued on his own, as though he had grown used to being his only companion…then she realised he probably had.

She decided day-care and trips to the park obviously were not working for Riku as far as friendship was concerned. If they were going to be stuck on this world, and her health was going to keep declining, then Riku would need friends. She would not crush his hope, but they could not live their entire lives as though they were in between phases.

Hilargi remembered that one of her co-workers had a son about Riku's age named Sora, and that she had offered to arrange a play date when Hilargi mentioned Riku's solitary nature. Hilargi decided she would take the kind woman up on her offer. ...And in time, Riku might forget who was waiting for when he stared into the horizon for hours on end.

If not, at least he might have a friend waiting with him.


	109. Umber

_Prompt: Umber_

_Given by: Truthsetfree_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Tifa/Rude, Leon/Riku_

* * *

Yuffie entered _Seventh Heaven_ and was surprised to find Reno behind the bar instead of Tifa.

"Uh, Hi Reno," said the hyperactive ninja, "What are you doing here?"

"Tifa took off with Rude, and I owed him so he asked me to keep the bar open so she wouldn't have to lose a day of business, yo," explained the redhead.

"Oh…Any idea where they went?" asked Yuffie.

"I wouldn't disturb them today, I think they want some alone time, if you know what I mean," answered the Turk.

"Oh…_oh_, gotcha," said Yuffie with a grin.

"What did you need her for, anyway?" questioned Reno.

Yuffie took a breath, indicating this was going to be a fairly long, and most likely unnecessary, explanation. "Riku decided to organise all of the old files in Ansem's computer system to make things easier for Leon when he uses it-"

"That figures," interrupted the redhead.

"Anyway," Yuffie continued as though he had not spoken. "Sora saw some of the public records, since Riku won't let him see the other ones unless Leon approves it-"

"He's got the kid on a leash already, huh?" said Reno.

"So those files were birth, marriage, and death certificates, that kind of thing," Yuffie went on, "Anyway, the time period Riku was organising when Sora was there was when most of us were born, so they saw most of our birth certificates and stuff-"

"So what, did Tifa lie about her age or something?" asked Reno.

"No, but it says she has black hair," answered Yuffie.

"That's it?" Reno cocked an eyebrow. "You came down here to ask about her hair colour, yo?"

"Well it's obviously a mistake," said Yuffie. "She might want to have it fixed."

"What makes you think it's a mistake?" asked the Turk.

Yuffie stared at the man a moment. "She doesn't have black hair."

He stared back. "She doesn't?"

"No wonder you can't keep a girlfriend," commented Yuffie, rolling her eyes. "I have black hair, so do Vincent, Zack, and Tseng. Tifa does _not _have black hair…it's like burnt umber or something…"

The redhead looked unfazed, "Burnt what?"

"Umber…I don't know, I couldn't think of the right shade and Riku knows more about art and stuff," Yuffie explained quickly. "It's dark brown."

"You know it takes longer to say 'burnt umber' then it does to say 'dark brown'," said Reno.

"But it's more specific," said Yuffie.

"Are birth certificates that specific?" asked Reno.

Yuffie looked confused, "No…"

The Turk shrugged. "Then who cares?"

"Well either way, she might want it fixed," stated Yuffie, placing her hands on her hips and looking annoyed.

"Okay, first of all, the records have been untouched for years; I don't think _anyone _cares, yo. Leonhart is neurotic about all this town shit and Jailbait just wants to help," said Reno in a casual tone. "Secondly, sometimes people's hair colour changes as they grow up. Maybe her hair was black when she was born and lightened before we could remember it."

The raven-haired woman blinked. "Oh…I guess its fine then."

"Cool. You want a drink?" asked the redhead.

"I'm not twenty one yet," answered the ninja. "I've still got a year to go."

Again, Reno looked unfazed. "Did I ask?"

"I think Tifa might want to just close for the day next time," said Yuffie.

Reno shrugged, "I'm just helping my partner out."

"By making his girlfriend lose her alcohol license?" asked Yuffie.

"I take it that works like a driver's license?" questioned the Turk.

"Yep, why do you think she doesn't let Riku or Sora even come in here during business hours?" Yuffie explained, "She could get in trouble if anyone thought she was giving alcohol to people underage…and some of the customers might stop coming if they were against giving minors drinks."

"Huh, I never actually paid attention to that, yo…too busy checking out some of the other patrons," said Reno. "In that case, get the hell out."

Yuffie rolled her eyes again, "Alright, but tell Tifa I was looking for okay?"

The Turk nodded and waved her off as she skipped out of the bar.


	110. Spirals

_Prompt: Spirals_

_Given by: Truthsetfree_

_Setting: Destiny Islands; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Sora/Penelo; Implied Leon/Riku_

* * *

Penelo walked to the park where, as expected, Sora was sitting on one of the swings, staring off at nothing.

"Hey," she said calmly as she approached him, "You still here?"

"Huh?" the spiky-haired boy blinked and then looked up at her. "Oh, hey Penelo…Yeah, I-" Blue eyes widened, "I forgot about your game! Sorry! I-"

"Don't worry about it," the blonde waved away the apology before sitting in the swing next to his. "There'll be plenty of other games that you watch me own in. We won by the way, so Tidus and Wakka are going to be impossible for the next couple days…you know, just until the high wears off."

"Yeah," Sora chuckled, but it did not hold his usual enthusiasm.

Penelo placed one of her hands over his, which lay limply in his lap. "You haven't heard anything about Riku yet, huh?"

Sora shook his head slowly, and then turned sad eyes to his girlfriend. "I shouldn't have let him go alone. What if it was more serious than we thought? What if he gets hurt? He doesn't have any way of contacting us."

Penelo offered a sympathetic expression as she responded. "The king thought only one Keybearer was needed for this, and both you and Riku agreed. You wouldn't do that if it felt like something big. Riku knows what he's doing, Sora. If anyone could do this alone, it's him…and when have you guys ever not known when something was wrong with the other?"

Sora sighed. "You're right. I'd feel it if the worlds were in great danger…and I'd feel it if Riku were too. It's just…"

"Just what?" the blonde prompted gently as she rubbed his hand.

"There's always _something_," stated the blue-eyed boy. "Every time I think it's over…it just isn't. It's like a never ending cycle."

"Not a cycle…you're always better off each time. A spiral then," suggested Penelo. When her boyfriend seemed confused, she pointed to a coil around the frame of the swings. "You always end up in basically the same pace, but on a higher level."

"Yeah," Sora said, following the coil as hope seemed to bloom across his features. "Riku _is _a lot better off then he was during that last couple times he helped save the worlds…And I doubt Leon would let him try anything too risky without asking for help."

"It also sounds like the king has a strong connection to Riku," commented Penelo. "I'm sure he'd come to Riku's aid just like he helped you when you needed him during your last journey."

"That's true," agreed Sora. "The king wouldn't leave Riku alone if he needed someone…assuming Leon didn't insist on coming from the beginning. I could see him doing that. He's kind of protective."

"Oh yeah, and you're not protective at all," joked Penelo. "Didn't you and Vaan get into it the other day because of something he said about me…?"

"He started it," Sora defended, his mood notably better than when Penelo had arrived. "You know how cocky he gets, and he keeps making eyes at you."

The blonde laughed. "You can handle villains of every sort as long as it isn't another boy checking out your girl, huh? It's wonder the worlds are intact."

"Yeah…Hey!" the spiky-haired boy turned to face Penelo completely. At the sight of her smile, he broke into one of his own. "Well, just know that I will go berserk if any of the villains try taking you."

"Oh don't worry about me," said the blue-eyed girl. "I can handle myself just fine."

"I know, I've sparred against you, remember?" Sora responded with a chuckle. His eyes shifted to the sky as twilight fell. "You really think Riku's okay?"

"Mm-hm," replied the blonde. "You would know if he wasn't. Right now your brain is just overriding your heart…I'm sure it won't last long." She teasingly hit his shoulder.

He chuckled again, "Okay, I know…I'm being stupid. It's just…"

"I understand," said Penelo, "And it isn't stupid. You love your friends. It's part of your charm actually."

"Really...?" Sora wagged his eyebrows in what he had hoped was a sexy manner, but his girlfriend's corresponding giggles told him otherwise. He laughed along with her. "Thanks Penelo."

"Anytime," she said as they both began swinging and watched as the first stars came out.


	111. Flames

_Prompt: Flames_

_Given by: Truthsetfree_

_Setting: Destiny Islands; (Way) Pre-KH_

_Pairing: None; Implied Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi)_

* * *

_He was cradled in someone's arms, safe and warm, and a soft voice sang to him gently until he drifted to sleep._

_**Smoke filled the air. People were screaming. **_**He **_**walked through unfazed.**_

_He laughed as he felt someone's long soft hair brush over him. Then a large, familiar form shadowed him before he managed to crawl ahead, knowing the other would stay with him._

_**Flames covered nearly everything in sight. The screams continued, unnoticed by **_**him**_**. The fire spread as quickly as **_**he **_**had intended it to.**_

_Someone was holding him, carrying him through a strange white hallway with bright lights and strange scents. Something was wrong, but he felt safe in the strong arms. He snuggled into the embrace, never wanting to let go._

_**The screams died as the flames consumed the town. **_**He**_** merely turned, spoke to someone unseen, and walked away…completely unmoved by the scene around **_**him**

_He screamed and cried as he was pulled away from the familiar arms, scent, voice, and warmth. He was not sure what was happening, but he did not like it. Something was very wrong and he wanted that familiar presence with him._

A small boy with silver hair and teal eyes woke up with a wail before curling into a ball and crying. Riku was not sure who the warm and comforting presence from the memories he could barely recall was, but he suspected it was his father. He also did not know who the cold and imposing man that appeared in his night terrors was, or what the connection was between them, but he was haunted by these dreams all too often.

The little boy wanted to run across the hall to his mother's room, but stopped himself with a will that no child so young should possess. He was starting school next week, and Sora said that meant he was going to be one of the big boys now…and Sora's dad always said that the man of the house is supposed to take care of his family. Well, Riku supposed that he was the man of the house, since he did not have a dad like all the other kids and his mom was sick all the time. Besides, big boys do not crawl into bed with their mom because they are scared.

Riku curled into a tighter ball, shivering and peeking through his silver bangs. His small room looked dark and menacing. With rapid movements, he darted up, switched on his nightlight, grabbed his old plushie, and pulled the blankets over his head before curling into a ball once more, as he held the stuffed creaturee to his small, pounding chest. He hoped the dim light was enough to ward off the frightening shadows, and the blankets enough to keep the scary man from his nightmares from finding him. He wished his dad would come and find him soon, so that he would not have to be a man yet, but he thought this was a fair compromise until then.

If not, he could work on being a big boy some more later...he still had a week, after all.


	112. Breakfast

_Prompt: Breakfast_

_Given by: Ary1_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Leon/Riku_

* * *

Leon entered the kitchen to find a note from Riku on the counter telling him the silver-haired boy had left early to check something and that there were fresh waffles in the oven. Judging by the fact that the waffles were still warm and the house still smelled of them, the scarred man guessed the boy had not left long before.

Shortly after the brunette took a couple of the waffles, piled on some blueberries and whipped cream, and sat at the table, Zack entered without knocking, followed by Cloud.

"What's that smell?" asked the violet-eyed man, noticeably inhaling the sweet scent in the air.

"Waffles," answered Leon simply. "There's more in the oven if you want some."

Both of the other men wasted no time in arranging their own breakfast plates. Cloud chose butter and maple syrup, while Zack buried his under strawberries and whipped cream.

"You know," said Cloud after taking a bite of his breakfast, "I never figured you to be the type to put this much time into cooking for yourself."

"That's because I don't" Leon said flatly.

Cloud furrowed his brows. "You mean Riku made these?"

After Leon nodded, Zack chuckled and hit him in the shoulder. "Good catch there, Leon. These are just as good as Aerith's…don't tell her I said that, though."

Leon rolled his eyes. Cloud shook his head.

"Where is the kid anyway?" asked Zack, looking around.

"He took off early," commented Leon. "He left a note saying he wanted to check something."

"Check what?" asked Cloud, brows still drawn.

Steel blue eyes narrowed slightly. "Cloud, you need to stop this."

Zack looked between his two friends. Each looked ready to jump across the table and throttle the other. "Okay, what am I missing here?"

"If it doesn't mean anything, then why don't you tell him?" Cloud said in a slightly aggressive tone.

"Because it's Riku's secret, not mine," answered Leon tightly. "And after seeing your reaction, I agree with him on keeping it a secret."

"I can keep it a secret if you want," said Zack. "It might help you two straighten whatever it is out if there's someone else to bounce the issue off of."

"It's Riku's secret," Leon repeated, "And like I said, Cloud just needs to stop this."

Zack turned to Cloud.

"Sephiroth is his father," stated the blonde man.

"Cloud!" snapped Leon. The blonde looked at him coldly.

Zack simply stared at Cloud for a moment. Then he switched his gaze between the other two men. "_Riku _is Sephiroth's son? How did I miss that?"

"What?" Cloud asked as Leon raised an eyebrow.

"Well, it makes sense…if you know as much as I do about Sephiroth anyway." Zack looked thoughtful for a moment. "Does Sephiroth know that Riku is his son?"

"Yes," answered Leon.

Zack looked concerned for a moment, and then he suddenly burst into laughter.

Both of the other men gaped.

"Er…Zack?" Cloud's eyebrows rose now.

"What is funny about this?" questioned Leon.

The black-haired man put a notable effort into controlling his mirth. "Well at first I was worried, since Riku's only sixteen and all…"

Leon's eyes widened. "I hadn't thought of that…"

"What?" asked Cloud, looking from Zack to Leon.

"Riku's a minor," said Leon in a worried tone. "Sephiroth is his father…he could claim him."

"…And take him anywhere he wanted, and do anything with him that he wanted," added Zack.

The blonde's eyebrows narrowed again, only this time, he directed his anger at Zack. "How is that funny? You know what he could do to the kid if Jenova takes hold of him again!"

"I know, that's not why I was laughing," Zack said defensively.

"Then why were you laughing?" demanded Leon. "I don't see anything funny about this. Cloud's right, if-"

"I know better than you two what Sephiroth could do," interrupted Zack. "I was laughing because well, I thought of what it could be like if he was the way he used to be."

"I don't see how that's funny either," said Cloud. Leon was still glaring.

"It's funny because Sephiroth was still pretty damn scary, as you two know," explained Zack, now clearly trying not to laugh again. "So I was imagining if he wanted to do the whole 'dad' thing and meet, warn, threaten his son's boyfriend…"

Cloud's eyebrows rose as high as they could. Leon paled.

"…And," Zack continued, now starting to chuckle. "Imagine Leon having tea with Sephiroth while he glares at him…and having to say that he's screwing his underage son, who also happens to be ten years his junior…" Now Zack completely broke down laughing.

Cloud and Leon slowly turned to look at one another. Neither spoke.

"I'm not screwing him," said Leon.

"Yet," said Zack between laughing fits, "You will be soon enough…"

After that comment, Cloud also broke into laughter. "Oh man…Everything on the block is getting annihilated…"

"Only you," Zack spoke between bouts of laughter, "Would _finally _decide to let someone in…and have that someone be not only an underage boy who is one of the Keyblade wielders and has some serious issues on his own…but is also the spawn of Sephiroth…"

Now Zack was clutching his sides and Cloud's eyes were starting to water with how hard they were laughing.

"That isn't _that _funny," stated the steel-eyed man.

"Only because you're going to be the one having Sephiroth go Destroyer Angel on your ass," said Zack. "To us it's hilarious. Besides, between this and Jailbait, I finally have things I can torment you with." He shook his head, laughter under control but still smiling broadly. "I love that kid…"

"Yeah…" Leon said with an odd expression, "So do I."

Both of the other men sobered up instantly.

"And _that _is what will save your ass if daddy does decide to enter the picture," said Zack with a smirk.

Leon's expression did not change, and when Zack turned to Cloud, he found the blonde regarding their scarred friend seriously. "What's with you now?" asked the violet-eyed man, although he sounded like he already knew.

Cloud did not remove his gaze from Leon. "If you could actually love this kid…then I can give him a chance."

Leon grinned slightly and nodded.

"Aw, I forgot how cute Spiky could get when he's not trying to be cool like us," said Zack. Cloud shot him a glare, but it lacked any bite. Leon chuckled.

Steel blue eyes shifted from his friends, to the note on the counter, and then to the window. Zack's smirk bloomed into a grin. "Go get him then. We'll clean up and I won't let Cloud break anything."

After Leon offered his friends a smile and left, Zack turned to Cloud. "_Now _he'll be able to say he's screwing Sephiroth's spawn…"

Both men broke into peals of laughter again.


	113. Train

_Prompt: Train_

_Given by: Ary1_

_Setting: Twilight Town Mansion; KHII opening_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

DiZ glanced to the boy, if he could still be called that, through the corner of his exposed eye as they worked. Riku was working quietly and diligently as always, however, his movements were a little less graceful and fluid as they normally were.

While he clearly was Riku, the form that he nearly always kept covered now was not right. The boy was taller, thicker, and broader than he truly was, and the voice he used now was not his own, but one that DiZ found equally familiar…As was that face, which just looked so terribly wrong when one should be looking at Riku.

DiZ had never known shame as he did when the boy introduced himself as 'Ansem'. At the time, he could only laugh at his own foolishness. …And to hide that shame; for what good would it do them now? Now, he wondered what had happen when Riku obtained Roxas, and just how lost his sole ally truly was…

Despite his own suffering or discomfort, Riku continued to work steadily towards his goal…which was much nobler than DiZ's had ever been. The boy had surprised DiZ from the beginning, which was not an easy feat, and the strength of the youth's heart continued to surprise the old sage and put him to shame.

Among these surprises was the obvious pity that Riku felt for Roxas and Naminé. DiZ still could not comprehend that, but he was beginning to think that the child might understand something about them that he himself did not. DiZ had never actually asked Riku about any of his beliefs.

The sage decided to d so now. "Tell me, why do you feel sorry for Roxas and Naminé? Why do you feel anything toward them at all? They are beings without hearts."

"It doesn't matter if they have hearts or not," answered the voice that DiZ should not be hearing. "What matters, is that _we _do."

DiZ said nothing as he pondered this response, and Riku returned to his own task without another word.

Soon, they were both too busy watching over the virtual town as Roxas and his make believe friends decided to investigate certain 'mysteries' of the digital town to continue any conversation anyway…not that they usually conversed while they worked.

However, while they were running interference and damage control of the virtual world, DiZ did something that even he himself did not expect or fully understand. The sage understood himself well enough to know why he had done it though. He did it for Riku. He knew that small act of kindness towards the non-being could not make up for any of the damage he had caused the child in his quest for vengeance, but it was a start.

When everything was back under control in the virtual town, DiZ once again heard the wrong voice speak to him, from the wrong shell to encase such a unique heart.

"Why did you show him the train?"

DiZ couldn't say why…it would be belittling to tell the boy he was wrong now, "Because he missed the trip to the beach."

The boy made a noncommittal noise, ". . . that's almost kind of you."

Yes, DiZ thought…_almost_ was certainly the right word for it.

After that, the sage began to ask the boy some questions, this time with genuine interest in the answers, and not simply as research or a sign of their tasks progress. He knew he had reached this epiphany too late. Even after all his years of study and experience, he still had much to learn.


	114. Passion

_Prompt: Passion_

_Given by: Ary1_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Implied Leon/Riku_

* * *

Zack glanced at Leon again from the corner of his eye. The scarred man had been staring at the same page for a good ten minutes, without moving his eyes and his expression was distant. He had never seen him like that before.

When a small sigh escaped the steel-eyed man's lips, Zack glanced over to Zell, who had also been watching Leon, and now turned his eyes to meet Zack's violet ones. With a silent understanding, they both stopped what they were doing and slowly approached their old friend. Leon did not look up, even when they were both standing across from him.

"Okay, what's going on with you?" asked Zell without any preamble.

Leon's eyes darted up to Zell, and then took in Zack briefly before moving back to the tattooed man. "What?"

The blonde quirked an eyebrow before stating, "A few months ago you would work on the restoration for at least twelve hours a day and you've never drifted in your life. Now, it's not uncommon for you to disappear for a couple hours in the middle of the day, and you keep spacing."

"Not that we're complaining," Zack added. "It's good to see you backing off from your obsession with restoring the town and all, but there's obviously something on your mind, so spill."

"I do not have an obsession with restoring the town," commented Leon flatly.

"Fine, your passion for restoring the town then," said Zack with a smirk.

"Either way it's obviously being tempered by something, so what is it?" asked Zell.

"It's nothing," said Leon.

"Ah, then there is an 'it'," commented the blue-eyed man.

"Why don't you tell us what _it _is and we'll decide if it's nothing for ourselves," said the black-haired man.

"The restoration is coming along as well as anyone could have hoped, and there are plenty of people working on it," stated Leon.

"True," agreed Zell, "But we already knew that."

"We never thought you needed to do so much yourself to begin with," commented Zack. "I believe several of us have tried to tell you this before, you might recall?"

Leon glared slightly, but his anger quickly ebbed. "I just decided that if there was something else…important to me, I could back off to make time for it. I don't have to keep everything else on hold in order to do this."

"It sounds like we aren't the ones you're trying to convince," said Zell. "Of course you don't have to put your life on hold. The rest of us can take over on some of the restoration projects…except Cloud, let's stick to easy objectives for him unless it involves delivering stuff or kicking ass."

"He's right…on all counts. So, you finally found a more…_personal _passion?" questioned Zack. "And you actually decided not to screw up and let it go over your drive to restore our world all by yourself? Aw, Leon, I'm proud of you."

Leon had started looking somewhat lighter, but now was back to glaring at his friends.

"So what is it?" asked Zell. "You never were one for hobbies, and other than sparring with Jailbait, bantering with us and Cloud, and sleeping in occasionally, you haven't done anything not restoration related as far as we know."

"That is a good question," commented Zack. "Aside from friends and honour, you never seem interested in anything. What have you suddenly gained a passion for?"

"I already said it's _nothing_," stated Leon.

"Nothing huh?" said Zell thoughtfully. "So is it some_one_ instead of some_thing_ then?"

Zack's eyes widened, "No way; have you finally decided to acknowledge that you're human, with feelings and urges like the rest of us?"

Leon's glare hardened further, then suddenly melted away as his gaze switched to something behind the other two. "What is it?" he asked in a softer tone than his friends normally heard from him.

They turned to see Riku standing in the doorway, looking as though he had been patiently waiting.

"I finished with that program," the silver-haired boy stated smoothly, although his eyes showed a unique blend of emotions including trepidation, respect, and caring. "I was wondering if you wanted me to just work down the line, or if there was something in particular you'd like me to move onto next."

"You finished it already?" asked Leon. "If you're up for it, then just move down the line, unless you or Tron find something that needs immediate attention."

"Okay," said the teenager with a nod.

"Thanks Riku," said Leon as the boy turned.

"Sure Squall," Riku called from a few feet into the hall.

Zell and Zack exchanged a surprised glance before turning to look at Leon. Instead of the usual annoyed and frustrated expression he got when someone slipped on his name, he wore a small smile and his steely eyes looked more alive than they had in years.

Both of the other men broke into grins. Leon's smile faltered as his attention snapped back to them.

"So your new passion is an underage pretty boy with mad sword and computer skills…not bad," said Zell.

"And I hear he has a few pretty good tricks up his sleeve," added Zack. "So has he been disappearing with you or are you just stalking him for now?"

"We've spent a lot of time together," said Leon evenly.

"Doing what exactly?" asked Zell.

Zack looked thoughtful, "The kid does seem to have a slight limp all of the time…I just assumed it was from an old battle wound or something."

Steel blue eyes narrowed; "It is."

"Ah, so he's holding out on you," commented the former SOLDIER.

"Maybe you should take off a little more time to spend with him," suggested Zell, "Or is he saving himself until he's legal?"

"That's a long time to wait," said Zack, earning him yet another glare. "Maybe you should start working on your wooing skills…you're probably out of practice…and you've never tried it with a boy before have you?"

"I'm sure you could give him some pointers," commented the tattooed man to his violet-eyed friend. Then he turned back to Leon, "You're going to want to keep being discreet around most people though. It wouldn't do for the town role model to end up in jail for statutory-"

"That's enough," interrupted Leon.

"We're only teasing you," commented Zack as he smirked and waved off his friend's anger.

"This is a good thing, Leon," added Zell. "You were right before, you should back off of the restoration obsess-_passion_, and make time for this one too."

The other man just stared at his friends, his expression giving away nothing.

"Hey relax, we can even cover for you now that we know," stated the blonde man.

Leon appeared to consider this.

"Of course we can," stated Zack. "We're friends, right?"

"Whatever…" Leon said impassively, but the slight smirk pulling at his lips was enough of an answer for his friends.


	115. Yaoi

_Prompt: Yaoi_

_Given by: manic the hedgehog_

_Setting: Destiny Islands; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Implied Sora/Penelo & Leon/Riku_

* * *

Selphie, Kairi, and Penelo casually approached a tree that Riku was sitting under, drawing, without pausing in their conversation.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with yaoi, I just don't get what's so appealing about it," stated Penelo, causing a single, perfectly formed silver eyebrow to arch up.

Selphie rolled her eyes, "Because one hot guy is hot-"

"That's pretty redundant," commented Penelo.

Selphie shot her a look before continuing as if there had been no interruption. "Two hot guys are obviously even better-"

"Again, redundant," commented Penelo. Kairi tried to hide a grin and Riku smirked.

Once more, Selphie continued without acknowledging the disruption, "And two hot guys _together _is about as hot as it gets outside of Hades."

Riku snorted without looking up from his drawing. He continued moving the pencil across the page of his sketchbook fluidly with a slight, amused smirk still tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Kairi gave him a knowing look, Penelo a thoughtful one, and Selphie an appraising one.

"You know," Penelo said, looking at their long-time friend as if seeing him for the first time. Teal eyes shifted up to acknowledge her, although his face was still downcast. "You've become quite a bishie while you were away."

"Actually…she's right," said Kairi, "You probably don't want to say anything like that around Sora though," their blonde friend nodded her agreement.

Selphie's eyes widened as she continued to gape at their silver-haired friend, "Oh, he _totally _has! That's so cool; we finally have a bishie around here!"

"A bishie…?" asked Riku, sounding only vaguely interested as he raised his head slightly to look at the three while the breeze toyed with his silver locks.

"It's short for bishonen," explained Penelo, clearly trying not to giggle.

Riku's expression did not change at all. "Which means…?" He titled his head to the side slightly.

Penelo and Kairi each tried to suppress their oncoming giggles.

They failed miserably.

"It's an androgynous or effeminate boy whose beauty and sex appeal transcends the boundaries of gender and sexual preference," explained Selphie in a rush with a large grin gracing her features.

Teal eyes blinked a couple of times. "Oh." With a small shrug, he casually began putting his sketchbook and pencils in his messenger bag before standing gracefully.

Now all three girls were giggling again. Riku arched an eyebrow questioningly.

"It's just that you scream bishie and uke," said Kairi once she composed herself.

"Okay," Riku drew out the word slightly, but made no other comment on the subject. "I'm going to go see what's keeping Sora. I'll see you guys later."

"Oh, Sora's in detention again and he and I have a date shortly after he gets out," said Penelo.

"He's in detention again?" said Riku in a mildly incredulous tone. "What happened now?"

"It seems Vaan can't help but admire Penelo, and you know Sora has never been one to keep his feelings on anything to himself," explained Kairi.

"Ah," Riku nodded.

"Okay, so am I the only one who's noticed that Riku hasn't expressed any issues with us dubbing him as both a bishie and an uke?" asked Selphie pointedly.

"I don't think he really can argue the bishie thing," Penelo replied.

"But I would still think he would complain or something," said Selphie.

"I'm more surprised that he hasn't protested his ukefulness," said Kairi.

"You guys do realise that I'm still standing right here," Riku stated with an amused grin.

All three girls suddenly turned to him as if they had indeed forgotten about his presence. Selphie looked excited, Penelo confused, and Kairi thoughtful.

"You actually don't have a problem with us calling you a bishie?" asked Penelo.

"Or an uke?" added Kairi.

"No," Riku answered simply. At their pensive expressions, he decided to leave before they could think on that for too long. "See you later," he said with a wave as he turned and walked across the field.

"You actually agree don't you?" Selphie asked his retreating form thoughtfully.

"Yeah," he called back to them, still walking away. He could not help but add, "And so does Leon."

He heard a squeal, a gasp, and a declaration of "I knew it!" chorus behind him before the girls drowned out each other's voices in excited but hushed conversation. He knew the girls would not say anything, at least, nothing that would give away much. It was nice having someone know and actually be excited about it, even if they did not really _know_.

In the following weeks, Sora, Tidus, and Wakka could not understand why their three female friends suddenly included Riku into conversations and made him privy to facts that they normally stated were for girls only. In the end, they just decided not to question it.

They would never understand girls anyway.


	116. Riku 0

_Prompt: Riku_

_Given by: manic the hedgehog_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; (way) Pre-KH_

_Pairing: Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi)_

_Author's note: I asked Jediempress to pick from a few ideas I had for this prompt and she wanted this one. Considering how much she dislikes Sephiroth as Riku's father, I could not say no._

* * *

Hilargi was stretched across the bed with her upper back supported by some pillows. She was holding a book before her, but was paying more attention to her husband.

Sephiroth was lying on his side next to her, with his head propped up on one arm while his other hand rubbed small circles over her swollen belly. A series of soft pats followed from the inside, as their baby seemed to be trying to follow his father's hand.

"You know, the baby only does this with you," she commented with a smile.

"Yes, I know," answered the silver-haired man with a small smile of his own. "I think he knows who I am."

"I do too," Hilargi agreed. "If he _or she _is this attached to you already, it's going to be a nightmare trying to keep that fact that you're the father quiet."

"We'll manage," Sephiroth responded sounding completely sure of himself. "And he _is _a boy. I can tell," he added with a thoughtful expression.

Hilargi laughed softly, "What do you mean you can tell?"

"I don't know how," he answered, that pensive expression still on his face. Then he smiled lightly again as he returned his gaze to her stomach. "…But I can feel him."

"It wouldn't surprise me," Hilargi commented. "Well, now that we know he's a boy, why don't we decide on a name for our son?"

Sephiroth's smile deepened when she said those last two words. "That is a wonderful idea."

"Hmm…I think naming him after you might make it even harder to keep it a secret that you're his father, what do you think?" asked Hilargi.

"I imagine it would lead to a few questions, yes," answered Sephiroth.

Hilargi laughed again, "Alright then, what about Riku?"

"Riku?" repeated Sephiroth.

"It means _brave power _where I come from," she stated serenely.

"It can mean either _land _or _agony of separation _where I come from," stated the silver-haired man.

"Really?" asked Hilargi thoughtfully. Icy blue eyes turned to meet sea green. "Then it's perfect."

Sephiroth stared at her impassively, "How so?"

"He's bound to be brave and powerful with us as his parents," said Hilargi, "And he'll be as steady, quiet, and solid as land. Plus, he already thinks it's agony to be separated from you…imagine when he's older?"

"Hmm," Sephiroth returned his gaze to her growing stomach, a small smirk in place on his features. "Yes, I think you're right. That name does feel suiting."

"In that same way he feels like a boy?" asked Hilargi.

"Yes," answered Sephiroth, taking a glance at her belly before looking at his wife again. "I think the name will fit him."

"That's good enough for me," said the claret-haired woman. "Now we just need to decide which will be his official surname…I think we should use yours for the private records, just so he'll have that connection if it's ever necessary…"

"I would like that," said Sephiroth, looking a little distant. "I do plan to make sure he knows he's mine after all…"

"I know you do," Hilargi placed her hand over her husband's larger one. "Don't worry, even if we can't get away for a while, he'll know who you are. It will be difficult when he can talk but not have things explained to him…and I just know he's going to look a lot like you."

"Really?" Sephiroth's small smirk returned. "At least I'm not the only one around with silver hair anymore."

"Don't say that," said Hilargi, hitting his shoulder lightly before leaning back again. "I do _not _want anyone considering that Xehanort could be his father…eew."

"I doubt they will," said the silver-haired man with a slight frown.

"No, they won't," Hilargi said with an air of certainty. "Most won't speculate too much, I'm sure quite a few people will suspect you…"

"Do not worry," said Sephiroth, "With my high standing, and your reputation, they won't dare to say it aloud."

"I hope Riku is as self assured as you are," commented Hilargi with a teasing grin. "The cockiness, he can do without."

"Well, he'll have your patience and wisdom to balance out my strength and confidence," commented the green-eyed man.

"Good, then he'll be perfect." She smiled and turned back to her book as Sephiroth returned his attention to their unborn child.

His hand resumed rubbing the soothing circles, and the coinciding pats resumed as well. "Riku…" Sephiroth said quietly as he felt his son trying to reach him.


	117. Sora

_Prompt: Sora_

_Given by: manic the hedgehog_

_Setting: Destiny Islands; Post KHII_

_Pairing: Sora/Penelo; Implied Pre-Tidus/Kairi_

* * *

Sora, Kairi, and Selphie stood outside the small stadium after one of their school's Blitzball games, waiting for Wakka, Tidus, and Penelo to come out after they changed out of their uniforms. 

"I can't believe that save Tidus pulled off!" Selphie said excitedly. "He hasn't been able to pull off that move before; he's going to be high off that for a month."

"I know," said Sora with a huge smile, "...And can you believe how many goals Penelo scored? I mean, I knew she was good, but _wow_."

"Yeah, she's going to break Wakka's record if she keeps this up," commented Kairi with a smile. "He'll be so proud…He's really taking his new position as team captain seriously."

"Was there any doubt that he would?" asked Selphie.

"Good point," agreed Kairi.

Just then, the team emerged from the stadium, laughing and talking, before they all congratulated themselves and each other one more time, and then headed to their separate groups of friends.

"Can you believe it?" asked Wakka with a huge grin. "We beat them by almost double their score, pretty good, ya?"

"You guys were great!" Kairi and Selphie chimed while Sora smiled and nodded enthusiastically.

"So what are we doing now?" asked Selphie, looking around at each of her friends.

"Well, why don't let our victors decide?" asked Sora as he snaked an arm around Penelo's waist.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving…let's go get something to eat, ya?" suggested Wakka cheerfully.

"That sounds good," agreed Tidus as Penelo nodded.

"Okay, our treat," said Kairi.

"Alight!" Tidus responded enthusiastically, "Where to?"

"Why don't we just walk to the diner?" suggested Penelo, earning appreciative smiles from both Sora and Selphie.

"That sounds good," said Wakka while Tidus nodded and linked one arm through the crook of Kairi's before heading in the direction of the diner. Wakka laughed as he and Selphie followed, with Sora and Penelo trailing behind.

The group entered the diner soon after. There was a long line, so the friends talked about the game while they waited.

"…And then, when you made that first score, ya, I knew we were on tonight," said Wakka happily.

"I'm surprised you didn't break into a victory dance right there," said Tidus with a chuckle.

"Hey, you guys should come up with your own victory dances," said Sora.

"Yeah! It would boost morale and add some more excitement," agreed Selphie cheerfully.

The girls tried not to giggle as all three boys began trying to decide what would work in a team victory dance. Tidus would throw some winks toward Kairi occasionally, finally causing Selphie to comment on how romantic it was. When Sora glanced over to see what she was talking about, and caught Penelo smiling warmly at him, he tripped, apparently over his own feet.

…And knocked over the person waiting before them in line, which seemed to cause a domino effect, and soon there were about twenty people on the ground, muttering at one another.

Sora rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "Uh…Sorry about that…"

Tidus, Selphie, and Kairi were in tears as they desperately tried to suppress their laughter.

"You just plough through everything in your way no matter where you go, don't you?" Penelo said lightly as she tugged on one of Sora's spikes with a grin.

"Ya, we ought to teach you break dancing sometime…you'd be a natural," said Wakka with a smile.

Sora chuckled weakly, but his smile was genuine as Wakka patted his shoulder and Penelo linked her arm with his and kissed his cheek. Then the hostess came and decided that it would be better to sit the teenagers immediately. No one in line complained when she led them to a table.

The incident at the entrance was forgotten as the group of friends ordered and began talking once more.

"I can't believe I nailed that block!" Tidus exclaimed, "I have never gotten it right in any of our practices."

"Morale, ya," said Wakka. "We were playin' so good, that you just didn't worry about it. I told you you just needed to relax about it…find your groove."

"Speaking of finding your groove," the redhead added as he turned to Penelo, "You definitely found yours today, girl. You were making goals all over the place." Sounds of agreement were heard from everyone else at the table.

"Yeah, if you can score like that on Friday night, they might as well give us the championship right then," said Tidus.

"Penelo can score every night," said Sora as he rubbed the blonde's thigh and offered her a small wink.

"Oh really…?" said Tidus with a smirk.

"Wait…Did Sora just pull off an innuendo?" asked Selphie. Kairi had her hand over her mouth, clearly trying not to giggle.

"That's the way to do it, buddy," Tidus said cattily. "Let her call the shots, and then you never get denied."

Sora promptly turned red as he realised that everyone had caught the allusion. "W-what makes you think I meant it like _that_, huh?"

"Oh you totally did," said the blonde.

"Maybe I didn't," protested the brunette.

"Then why is your face all red?" asked Kairi.

"It isn't," said Sora as he raised a hand to feel his face.

…And promptly knocked over his glass, along with Penelo's and Wakka's glasses.

"Sorry, guys, here…I'll get the waitress." The spiky-haired boy jumped up to do so, and knocked the entire table, causing all of the remaining glasses to fall over, "Oh, s-" Sora wasn't able to finish his sentence as he slipped on some of the spilled beverages and fell...with his face landing in Penelo's lap.

Due to the slippery floor, it took Sora a moment to remove himself from his girlfriend's lap. He ended up doing so, but then turned an even darker shade of red as he realised that he had gripped her thighs instead of the seat cushion to do so. "Er…Hee-hee…sorry…"

Wakka, Selphie, and Kairi were staring wide-eyed at the scene. Tidus started laughing hysterically. Sora shot the blonde boy a dirty look.

"Ignore him," Penelo said gently as she carefully detangled her boyfriend from her and slowly stood. Then she added slightly louder, "He was just teasing you because he jealous he hasn't gotten as far yet. Kairi, Selphie, do you guys want to go get cleaned up?"

Both of the other girls giggled at Sora's blush and Tidus' shocked expression. Wakka chuckled, "Tidus must be pretty bad if a klutz like that could get a girl first, ya."

Penelo kissed Sora on a red cheek before all three girls walked to the ladies room, where they completely lost their composure.

"I can't believe…the way it just kept…getting worse," Kairi said between her laughter.

"I now…" Selphie said with a nod, her eyes watering. "Just when…I thought it was over…" she make a sound like gushing water and spread her hands out the way the fluid had ran over the table.

"That was…so funny…" Penelo managed.

After a moment, the girls recomposed themselves, used the hand blowers to dry their laps, and fixed their hair in the mirrors.

"So, Tidus sure seems interested in you," Penelo said from behind the other girls as they fixed their make-up, looking at Kairi through the mirror.

"You know, I always figured you would end up with either Sora or Riku…well, the Riku idea didn't last very long," said Selphie.

"Well, I used to like Sora, but I think that was more of a first crush type of thing. I actually couldn't see myself with either of them now," said Kairi. "We're just _too _close, you know?" The other girls nodded their understanding.

"Well you know, Tidus always mentioned you a lot in conversations that he really didn't have to…" said Penelo thoughtfully. "At first I thought he was teasing Sora, sort of like Riku used to, but then I realised he was trying to see Sora's reaction."

"That makes sense," said Selphie, "And he does have that same cocky attitude that Riku used too…shame he doesn't pull it off nearly as well."

"He also has a way of saying the goofiest things and ruining any serious moment like Sora does," added Kairi with a grin, "Although, not as notably as Sora just did…of course, he's only that bad tonight because of Penelo."

"Huh?" Selphie looked confused.

"He gets that way around girls he really likes," explained the auburn-haired girl.

"Oh, that's so cute," Selphie looked at the blonde. "Do you ever wish that he wasn't so…extreme?"

"If he wasn't, then he wouldn't be Sora," replied Penelo with a smile.

"No, he wouldn't," agreed Kairi.

"Oh well, you still have to fill us in on all the details it seems you've been keeping to yourself," said Selphie.

"Later, for now, I think I need to make sure my boyfriend isn't causing any more destruction," said Penelo.

"Let's get back out there and see what further entertainment awaits us," Kairi joked as the three girls left to join their friends.


	118. Grateful

_Prompt: Grateful_

_Given by: Joelpuppy_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Cloud paced across his room. He could not believe it. He had waited all this time to destroy Sephiroth and when he finally had the chance to kill him once and for all, he walked away. 

It was the first time Cloud had not needed to call upon the darkness or rely on someone else's light to save him while battling his nemesis. The silver-haired man had seemed deeply distracted by something, what, Cloud could not say nor had he cared.

Then, when Cloud had the man pinned, unarmed, and gravely injured, just needing a coup de grâce to finish the job, something had shifted in Sephiroth's eyes. He seemed oddly calm, as though he were completely willing to accept his own demise.

Unfortunately for Cloud, this shift had also affected the colour of the man's eyes and his usual smirk had dropped as well, making him look much more human and much less evil. Suddenly the blonde could see the resemblance between Sephiroth and his son.

Riku believed that there was hope for his father. He had clung to that hope for years. Cloud had tried to tell him what Sephiroth was now, and that he could never return to what he used to be. The boy acknowledged this, he understood it, but he still hoped.

Cloud could not bear to kill that hope. He knew all to well what it meant to live without it…he could not do that to Riku. The boy had lost enough already. He had simply walked away.

A knock at the door brought the former SOLDIER from his musings. He opened it quickly, knowing it was probably Zack or Leon, wanting to check on him and ask what had happened.

Instead, he found himself staring at the last person he had expected. Riku was standing on the other side of the threshold, face and eyes downcast, but standing his ground none the less. Neither moved nor spoke for a moment.

Part of Cloud wanted to yell at the kid; if it were not for him, he would have defeated Sephiroth. Part of Cloud wanted to apologise to the boy; he had fought so hard to destroy a part of him. Another part of Cloud felt like he should thank the boy; he had made Cloud realise the things that made him different from the others who had fallen to darkness…from Sephiroth.

Cloud forgot all of this when the boy finally looked up. Riku's eyes were filled with so many emotions, that Cloud wondered how the boy was not drowning in them. Then Cloud realised that the boy had no way of knowing what had happened during the duel.

The blonde man was not sure how to explain what had happened, "I…"

"I know," Riku said softly.

Cloud blinked. Then he realised why Sephiroth had been so distracted, as if his mind was otherwise occupied. Riku had also been willing to give up something he had fought for, something unimaginably important to him, to save a friend.

The blonde man nodded once, and then two pale and slender arms were flung around his neck and his own arms rose to wrap around the boy.

"Thank you," Riku spoke against him, sounding so sincerely grateful, that Cloud could not help but smile softly.

The former SOLDIER sighed and stroked the boy's hair. "Anytime, kid."


	119. Harass

_Prompt: Harass_

_Given by: Joelpuppy_

_Setting: Traverse Town; Post KHII_

_Pairing: None; Implied Leon/Riku; Past Vincent/Lucrecia & Sephiroth/OC_

* * *

"Wow, Traverse Town has really cleaned up since Vincent and Reeve have been working on it," said Leon as he walked through the first district.

"It's brighter too," commented Riku.

"Good, this place was way too dreary before," said Yuffie.

"I'm gonna check on the shop," said Cid as he turned in the direction of said building. "Try to stay out of trouble."

"Let's go find Vincent!" Yuffie said excitedly before skipping ahead towards the third district.

"He's staying in the house Merlin occupied while he was here," Leon explained to Riku as they followed at much calmer pace.

"I take it he's not one for visitors?" questioned the teen.

"Not unwelcome ones," answered the steel-eyed man.

Yuffie was apparently convinced that they were welcomed, as she skipped right up to the door with a flame carved upon it.

"Wait a minute…," the hyperactive ninja tilted her head. "Do either of you know how to cast a fire spell?"

Both of the others shook their heads.

"I've always been the physical type," said Leon, causing Yuffie to giggle and Riku to blush slightly. He rolled his eyes at their reactions.

"What about you?" Yuffie said to the silver-haired boy. "I've seen you use magic before."

"Only light and dark magic," said Riku. "I don't know anything about the elemental stuff."

"Well then how are we supposed to get in?" asked the black-haired woman.

"We could knock," suggested Leon, "Or see if he's blocked the back way."

"Or I could just use this," suggested Riku as Way to Dawn materialised in his hand.

"That'll work," said both of the others.

Once inside, they easily made their way to the small house.

"Vincent!" called Yuffie as soon as they reached the entrance.

The curtain was quickly pulled aside. "Hello Yuffie," commented Vincent as though he were unsurprised by hyperactive woman's arrival. He inclined his head in greeting to Leon, "I did not expect you to leave Radiant Garden for some time."

"Would you rather we send Yuffie here on her own?" asked Leon, earning him an appreciative nod from the raven-haired man.

Crimson eyes landed on Riku and remained there for a moment before Vincent spoke to Leon again. "I did not expect this either."

Riku glanced at Leon, trepidation clear in his eyes.

"He's fine, Vincent," Leon stated firmly. The crimson-eyed man eyed both Riku and Leon for a moment before nodding.

"Do you know him?" asked Yuffie in confusion.

"Not personally," replied Vincent.

"Oh, don't worry," said Yuffie with a smile. "He's one of the good guys."

"Vincent was married to Lucrecia," Leon commented quietly to Riku. The trepidation did not leave his teal eyes, as confusion joined it instead.

"Lucrecia was Sephiroth's mother…his birth mother," stated the black-haired man.

Riku paled slightly as understanding replaced the confusion in his eyes, "I'm sorry. I can go if you'd like."

"No Riku, its fine," said Leon, still looking at Vincent.

"Of course," said Vincent.

Yuffie was looking between the three males, clearly not sure what the issue was. "What's going on? Why are you guys…hey, hold on a minute…If Lucrecia was Vincent's wife and Sephiroth's mother, then Vincent is Sephiroth's step-father, isn't he?"

All three males blinked and then turned their attention to the petite woman.

"What?" asked Leon.

"If he married Sephiroth's mother, then he's his step-father," repeated the ninja, "Right?"

"Er…that's right," said Riku quietly.

Vincent was very still. Leon appeared to be trying not to laugh. Both men looked slightly disturbed.

"Wait…" said Yuffie again, and already she had the attention of her three friends. "If you guys hadn't figured that out yet, then what were you three so nervous about?"

"I had not been aware that Sephiroth had a child," said Vincent. Leon shot the man a look, but it was already too late.

"A child?" repeated Yuffie, confused once again. "What are you talking about? Of course Sephiroth didn't have a child; I think we notice a little mini-Sephiroth running around kicking ass and…" The ninja trailed off as her eyes trailed over to Riku.

"You think Riku is Sephiroth's child?" she asked, smiling again already, "Leon, tell him he's-" Yuffie stopped speaking again when she noticed the expressions on her three friend's faces.

"How-" She turned from Leon to Riku. "You can't be…He's…but then…" Suddenly the ninja gasped and her eyes widened. Riku seemed to withdraw slightly. Leon steeped to the side, placing him almost directly behind the boy. He placed a hand on one of Riku's shoulders.

"That means…" Yuffie continued, seemingly still caught up in the shock of what she had just realised. The she suddenly turned to Vincent, "You're Riku's grandpa!"

Once again, the other three blinked and stared at the energetic woman.

Then Vincent and Leon turned to one another, as though checking to see if either of them had an argument against this fact. Finally, Leon bit his lip to prevent himself from laughing as Vincent looked down at Riku blankly.

"I'm right, aren't I?" questioned Yuffie excitedly.

"We're not blood related, but technically speaking, yes," answered Vincent.

"Oh this is too good," said Yuffie, who was now laughing. "You're a grandfather…"

"Isn't he too young…?" questioned Riku quietly as the ninja continued harassing her friend.

"He's old enough to be Cid's father," said Leon, once he was certain he would not laugh as well.

"This is another complicated experiment thing, isn't it?" asked the teenager.

"Yes," Leon answered. The boy nodded and asked no further questions.

"You need to get a candy jar, Vincent," Yuffie was saying now, "Grandparents are supposed to have candy when their grandchild comes over…at least mine always did."

"That explains a lot," commented the black-haired man.

As the petite ninja chattered on, Leon leaned down to whisper into the teen's ear. "Why don't we slip out the back? Yuffie is going to harass Vincent about this for a long time."

Riku nodded and the two slipped out the trapdoor, which lead to the secret waterway.

"You weren't actually free to look around the last time you were here," Leon said as he draped an arm around the boy's shoulders, "Is there anything you want to do while we're here?"

"Aside from forgetting that conversation ever took place?" asked the teen. Then he looked around the cavern they were in. "This sort of reminds me of the secret place back home."

"Sora mentioned that when he was here," commented Leon. "I'll have to see it sometime."

"Okay, you show me around here, and then I'll show you the secret place when you visit the islands," said Riku.

Leon nodded, "Alright. Well there isn't much to this place; is there anything else you want to see?"

A slight smirk reached the boy's lips, "Yeah, I'd like to see the puppies I heard you were so worried about."

Leon chuckled at the teen. "I should have known he would tell you about that."

"I think it's kind of sweet," Riku commented in a teasing tone.

"Yes, yes…" Leon grumbled.

Riku grinned and picked up a small white stone from the ground, "First, we need to christen this place." He moved over to a wall and began drawing on it.

Leon smirked and moved toward the boy. "I was thinking a different way to christen it…"


	120. Dairy

_Prompt: Dairy_

_Given by: Joelpuppy_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None _

* * *

Sora and Yuffie walked into the restoration committee headquarters holding several bars of sea salt ice cream each.

"Hey everybody," said the spiky-haired boy. "Scrooge finally perfected his recipe."

"I'm sure he's thrilled," said Tifa with a smile.

"Yeah, he's already calculating how much money he should bring in on the first quarter its available throughout," said Yuffie.

"That sounds like Scrooge," said Cid.

Yuffie and Sora passed out the ice cream bars. Everyone gingerly tried theirs at first, and then continued eating happily when they discovered that the recipe had indeed been perfected this time.

"Hey," Yuffie said after a minute, "Sora, you forgot to give one to Riku."

"No he didn't," said the silver-haired boy. "I can't eat dairy."

"Besides, you didn't count right anyway," said Sora, "Cloud, Zack, and Reno don't have any either."

"They can't eat dairy either," said the hyperactive ninja with a shrug.

"Really…? That's weird," the blue-eyed boy looked at the named men and his friend. "Are there a lot of people from this world that can't have dairy?"

"Not really," answered Leon flatly, "Just them actually."

"No," Zack said, "Sephiroth and Genesis are lactose intolerant too. It's a side effect of the Mako…and everyone who was part of the Jenova project is from this world, so Sora actually had a point."

The named boy smiled proudly. "I thought it was weird that so many of you guys couldn't have dairy."

Yuffie and Tifa exchanged glances. "What are the odds that Riku is also lactose intolerant, though?" asked the umber-haired woman.

"Yeah," said Yuffie. "That is a weird coincidence…and he can take Cloud and Zack together in a spar and win..."

"He's a Keybearer," Leon pointed out.

"And my father was lactose intolerant," commented Riku. "I inherited the trait."

"You're also forgetting that Jailbait isn't from here," said Cid.

"But he did end up here when the islands disappeared," countered the black-haired ninja. "How come he didn't just disappear or get stuck in the darkness like everyone else whose world vanished did?"

"Because he's a Keybearer," said Sora. "I ended up on Traverse Town, and I was born on the islands."

"Oh, that all makes sense then," said Yuffie, returning her attention to her ice cream.

While everyone else returned to what they had been doing before the ice cream break, Zack and Reno each took in the way Sora practically screamed relieved. Neither had failed to notice that Sora had made a couple statements as though Riku had not been born on islands as he was.

Zack also noticed that Cloud and Leon kept taking small glances at Riku, the former in a suspicious way and the latter as if to see that he was all right, while Riku was hiding his eyes even more than usual.

The former SOLDIER recalled a time when he and Sephiroth were friends…and a baby he had seen his friend with on several occasions before he lost his humanity.

Supposedly, the baby belonged to a friend of his, but Zack had teased Sephiroth about actually being the father. Between the boy's appearance, the way he clung to the general, and the way his friend's eyes shifted when he mentioned it, Zack had often suspected that he was right in his hypothesis.

A smirk played across Zack's lips as he watched Leon subtly move to stand beside Riku, who was still hiding his eyes completely.

He was going to have fun with this one.


	121. Maudlin

_Prompt: Maudlin_

_Given by: Jediempress_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; (way) Pre-KH_

_Pairing: Zack/Aerith; Implied Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi)_

* * *

When Sephiroth asked him to meet him at the tavern, Zack had been surprised. His friend had never been one for the social scene. It was usually Zack that instigated their rare nights out.

When the general actually out drank the colonel, Zack was shocked. He had never seen his friend drink like that before…like there was something he was trying to drown or free, he could not tell which.

When the man's eyes took on a hue they never had before, and he begin to talk about love, duty, and honour with a passion he never exhibited before, Zack was bemused. He wondered if it was Sephiroth's version of maudlin after drinking too much whiskey.

When Sephiroth asked him how far he would go to protect Aerith, Zack was concerned. He knew that something more than just friendship had developed between his friend and the mage he had become acquainted with through their employment by Ansem the Wise.

When his friend began asking him what he would do if he and Aerith had a child, and if that child were in danger, Zack was pensive. He had suspected that Hilargi's child was Sephiroth's son, and his friend's reaction when he teased him did not quell his suspicions.

When his comrade told him about the lapses in his memory, the voice that spoke to him, and the moments when his actions were not his own, Zack was afraid. He knew Hojo had some history with his friend, and it sounded too much like what had happened to Genesis.

When the two SOLDIERs parted ways, Zack was troubled. He had pieced together what his friend had not told him, just as he was sure he had meant him to. Unfortunately, he had no idea why his friend had told him all of this, or what he could do to help him.

When Hilargi and her young son Riku disappeared without a trace, Zack was saddened. They seemed to have taken the light from his friend's eyes with them. The strange behaviour he had been experiencing began occurring more often. Sometimes, he did not seem like Sephiroth at all.

When the attack on Nibelheim occurred, Zack was heartbroken. He knew the Sephiroth he had known was gone. He almost hoped they would not be successful in defeating him…perhaps there would be a way to bring his friend back one day.

When the Heartless attacked and several worlds disappeared into the darkness, Zack was lost. He knew nothing of what occurred during this period.

When the worlds were set right again, Zack was returned. He found Aerith and Cloud again, and life returned to normal for the most part. Cloud was engaged in a seemingly never-ending battle with Sephiroth, and Zack wished there was a way to end it.

When Riku arrived on Radiant Garden and the former SOLDIER realised who the silver-haired boy was, Zack was overwhelmed. If the boy had not been so introverted, he would have hugged the kid. He just knew he was looking at his friend's salvation in the flesh.

When Cloud had the chance to kill Sephiroth, and walked away from it, Zack was impressed. He knew what it had taken for both of the enemies to hold back, and he felt a new wave of appreciation for the kid that had touched both of his friends. He knew it was only a matter of time then.

When he entered the old castle's library at Riku's request and found the boy sitting across the table from his father and having a normal conversation, Zack was relieved. Nothing that had passed could compare to the joy he felt at simply having a conversation with his former comrade, and seeing bits of the old Sephiroth starting to shine through the darkness that had enshrouded him.

When Sephiroth told him he had to go one day and asked him to watch over Riku while he was away, Zack was determined. He would not fail to save Sephiroth's son as he failed to help his friend so many years ago.

When all was said and done, Zack was content. He went home to Aerith after dropping Riku off at Leon's house, and rested easily knowing that everything was going to be all right from that moment on.


	122. Nimbus

_Prompt: Nimbus_

_Given by: Jediempress_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Leon/Riku; Past Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi)_

* * *

Sephiroth watched from the shadows once again as his son pored through some of the books in the old library. The teenager could locate each tome with expert ease now, so that even if he had not watched the boy as he continuously searched, he would have known it was a common occurrence.

One could almost have imagined the child as a particularly diligent student, were it not for the passion and pain in his eyes as he searched. The teen chose books of several different subjects, some were science and biology, others journals of the old sage's or his scientists' that discussed the darkness, and some on the history of the world from the decade prior to the Heartless takeover.

Sephiroth knew these texts were not chosen randomly, that there was a connection. His son was searching for something, but what that was, he could not say. The child also did not seem to want any of his friends to know what he searched for, as he always came alone, and put away the books when he sensed anyone approaching.

Sephiroth realised early on that this day would be different. Whether the child found what he was looking for, or had simply given up, or given in to despair, he was not certain. In any case, the boy stopped and moved to the window seat, with one of the old sage's journals, although he ceased to read it.

The boy sat in the cascading light that came through the window, simply gazing out silently, his silver hair reflecting the light and causing a nimbus effect. Sephiroth watched the sorrowful and angelic scene in equal silence…Neither moved for hours.

Just as the former SOLDIER was growing more concerned for his son, he felt another presence approaching. One that was purer than most he could sense. Sephiroth knew that Riku could sense it as well; however, he still did not attempt to pull himself from the sad thoughts that held him.

The Gunblade wielder entered at a rough pace, but his hard expression and purposeful stride faltered when he saw the boy in the window. Steel blue eyes quickly glanced around the room, not noting the man watching from the shadows of course, before he quietly approached the teenager.

"Riku…?" The man's hand slid across the boy's back gently, suggesting an intimacy that the man, whom Sephiroth noted was at least ten years his son's senior, was hesitant to acknowledge. Sephiroth knew his son would not have accepted the lingering touch from anyone else's fingers.

The boy only shook his head slowly in way of response. With another glance around, the scarred man sat on the bench behind the teen, and pulled the boy against him. Sephiroth's suspicions were confirmed as his son rested his head against the man's shoulder, still gazing out the window, while the man cradled the boy in his arms.

Steel blue eyes moved again, but this time they took in the book resting on the teen's thighs as well as the ones on the nearby table. The scarred face wore a pensive expression that quickly turned sympathetic before he placed a chaste kiss to the silvered head resting against his chest.

"You didn't know any of this before, you didn't know what would happen when you opened that door. It wasn't your fault; besides, you made sure your world returned just as it was." the sable-haired man spoke gently, but still maintaining enough strength to make it clear that he considered himself to be addressing an equal. Sephiroth liked that, for his son was certainly this man's equal, and would easily be his better one day.

"Not just as it was," Riku spoke flatly. Sephiroth had never heard him sound that way in all the time he had watched him. "Not everyone returned."

The man tightened his hold on the boy. "They were ill and weak; it wasn't just because of what you did. I am not saying it isn't a shame, but it still was not your fault. You didn't know what would happen."

"She wasn't weak…she was the strongest person I've ever known." Sephiroth knew of whom his son spoke. He silently agreed with his child, his wife had been the strongest person he had ever known also.

"And now, she's gone…because of me." The pain and shame in his son's voice actually caused Sephiroth to feel a pain he had not experienced in nearly fifteen years. He had known his wife had passed when the world she had fled to with their son was lost, but somehow, he had never realised what exactly that meant before.

"Riku…" The Gunblade wielder's voice was firm, but kind…loving. He kissed the boy's hair again and held onto him as though he never intended to let go. Riku released a shuddering breath as, slender, pale arms, so similar to his mother's, rose to hold onto the arms that were cradling him.

"You didn't kill her," the man said so gently that Sephiroth almost did not hear it. The rest of the man's words were drowned out by a thought that filled Sephiroth's entire being.

_No, he did not kill her…**I** did._

As his son turned in the man's arms to accept the embrace fully, Sephiroth retreated further into the shadows. He knew he would have to keep an eye on the man with his son, but for now, he was grateful for the man's presence in his child's life. He decided to leave his son to grieve, finally, in private, with the man from whom he could gain the comfort he needed.

He did not deserve to grieve with him anyway.


	123. Roue

_Prompt: Roué_

_Given by: Jediempress_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII _

_Pairing: None; Mentioned Tifa/Reno & Zack/Aerith; Implied Leon/Riku_

* * *

Reno found Leon working on an interior wall of what used to be Ansem the Wise's research centre.

"Hey Leonhart, Fair said to tell you that we couldn't get job done," said the Turk as he neared the scarred man. "Something about a locking mechanism that needs to be reprogrammed…"

The brunette sighed, "We really need to get that up and running soon. Zell, can you take over here?" He called the last to his friend, who was working a few yards away.

The blonde smile and offered a thumbs up before Leon turned to walk further into the building.

Having nothing better to do, Reno followed. As expected, their final destination turned out to be Ansem's old computer room. Riku looked up from the computer when they arrived.

"The old locking mechanism on the waterworks needs to be reprogrammed," Leon stated without preamble.

"Can it wait three minutes?" asked the boy, eyes locked with the scarred man's.

"Yes," answered Leon. Riku gave a quick nod and returned his gaze to the computer.

"How long will it take to reprogram, yo?" asked Reno.

"That depends on how scrambled it is to begin with," answered the teenager.

Leon raised a hand to squeeze the boy's shoulder. Reno noticed that the man's fingertip ran down the teen's arm as he dropped his hand.

"Thanks, Riku," said Leon as he turned to leave the room.

Reno glanced back to notice a small smile on the boy's face as they left.

"So you're making the moves on the kid?" asked Reno.

Stormy eyes narrowed at him, "What?"

"Ah, so that's why you're so uptight all the time," commented the redhead. "You're _not _making the moves on the kid. You should, yo. It'll lighten you up."

"As you've clearly noticed," Leon stated in a strained tone, "He _is _a kid…and I'm not gay either."

"Neither am I, but I still have to admit there's something about that one-" Reno was interrupted by the death glare Leon shot in his direction. "I think you can forget about denying interest now, yo. If looks could kill, you'd have just murdered me for even _thinking _about the kid that way."

"He's still too young," replied the brunette, still glaring daggers at the redhead.

"See, that's your problem, yo. That's why you're always so uptight," said the Turk.

"I thought it was because I'm not 'making the moves' on an adolescent boy," commented Leon dryly.

"No, that's also a side effect of this, yo," replied the redhead. "You're too restrained by morals and rules."

"That's what any civilised society needs to function," stated the scarred man.

"Well it helps to have folks not going off and stealing or murdering each other," commented the Turk, "But sometimes you have to just forget about all that other crap and do what's best for you, yo."

"Obviously, _you_'d think that," muttered Leon. "I don't work that way."

"Are you guys still bent about all of that?" asked the Turk incredulously. "I expected it of Cloud, but come on already."

"That's what you get for being a roué," commented the scarred man.

"Yeah…but I also can do just about anything I want, and put the moves on whoever I want," the redhead responded, "…Even underage pretty boys."

The steel blue eyes that had finally returned to normal were set in a glare again immediately. "Don't even think about it."

"Well, you know, there are _some _things I'm above," said Reno casually.

"Such as?" questioned Leon.

"I wouldn't go after someone that belonged to a friend," answered the Turk. "So I suggest you decide whether the kid is yours or not pretty soon. I'm not known for my patience, yo."

"That isn't entirely my decision," stated the brunette, "But you still better not touch him."

Reno rolled his eyes. "Trust me; the kid is just waiting for you to give him a sign. If he hadn't been damaged during the whole saving of the worlds thing, then _he _probably would have started making the moves on _you _by now…from Sora's description of him anyway."

"Why would you say that?" asked Leon.

Again, the Turk rolled his eyes. "Talk about oblivious…Look, there are only three people, who can make that kid smile and the same three people are the only ones who he'll let touch him…which he seems to like, by the way. Those three people are Sora, that mouse king, and you. Now, he and Sora have a friendship I'm not even going to attempt to explain, and that king and him have gone through hell together, but you? What makes you so special?"

Leon looked ahead. "I don't…"

"Neither do I, but there's gotta be something the kid sees in you." Reno shrugged, "So why not take what he's willing to give you? It's not like you have you have to announce it to the whole damn world, yo."

Leon suddenly stopped walking and eyed the man beside him suspiciously. "Why are you…saying all of this?"

"Rude hooked up with Tifa, and now he's a lot happier then he was before," stated the Turk. "Fair hooked up with Ms Flower Power, and now he's a lot more easygoing. You hook up with Jailbait, and not only are you going to be happy for once, but you'll probably ease off this restoration obsession a little once your finally getting some. I figure, it's a win-win situation."

Leon quirked an eyebrow; "You're trying to help me ignore years of solitude, and get into the pants of a kid ten years my junior, whose got his own isolation issues, because you want some time off?"

"Pretty much," answered the Turk, "All this work is starting to affect my social life, yo. Even if I slack off, half the chicks I'm interested in are busy. Besides, if you hook up Jailbait, I'll finally have some dirt on you and I'll win the 'is Leon bi or not' bet."

"You truly have no morals," said Leon.

"Which is why you know I'm not above seducing that kid if that's what it takes," replied Reno. "It's what you want anyway, so why not just go for it, yo?"

"You have a very strange form of persuasion, you know that right?" questioned Leon in a disgusted tone.

Reno shrugged again. "Like I said, it's what you want anyway. You want that kid…and he wants to let you have him. I want you to get a life, so I can return to mine. So, you bag the kid, and we all win…or I can bag the kid, and at least I got some sort of compensation, yo."

Reno walked ahead; ignoring the death glare Leon was directing at him and hoping that the scarred man was not willing to attack him over just a suggestion. He figured he would suffer the Gunblade wielder's wrath if he actually went through with the threat, but he would deal with that if the situation arose.

When he stopped around the corner and glanced back to see Leon staring in the direction of the computer room with a torn expression before taking a deep breath and heading back with a purposeful to his step, the Turk smirked.

Sometimes, it was just too easy.


	124. Feral

_Prompt: Feral_

_Given by: hanakitsunechan7_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Leon/Riku; Implied Past-Sephiroth/OC_

* * *

Cloud walked past the study and paused when he noticed the hidden door to the computer room closed, and a rather anxious, border lining frightened, looking Riku leaning against the wall beside the door. His first thought was that he should just keep walking, and a few weeks prior, he would have. However, in that span of time, he had promised Leon and Zack (who had become oddly defensive of the boy since he discovered who the kid's father was) that he would give Riku a chance. Despite his initial anger towards the spawn of Sephiroth, he could not help but like the kid, even if he still was a little wary about him.

Therefore, Cloud turned with a sigh and approached the boy. "Riku, are you alright?"

The boy's head snapped in his direction, causing his silver hair to fly out in an eerily familiar fashion. Cloud had to force himself not to react. The kid looked torn between relief and further concern.

"What's happened?" asked the former SOLDIER.

"_He's _here," answered Riku. "He wanted to speak to me…and then Leon. I d-"

The shock that had stilled Cloud at the boy's first words finally wore off. "Is Leon in there with him?"

"I told him not to, but he insisted he would be fine," answered the boy, sounding worried. "Neither of them would let me stay. I don't think he intends to hurt Leon, but I don't know him well enough to be certain that he wouldn't. I-"

"Riku, its okay," Cloud surprised even himself with how caring his tone was. "What did he say to you? How did this happen?"

"I was in the computer room alone," the boy began, sounding much calmer. "I could…feel him getting closer, but instead of hiding somewhere nearby like he usually does, he actually approached me."

Mako blue eyes blinked. Cloud wondered how Leon, Zack, and he had failed to noticed that the only time they left Riku alone was when he was working on the computer here. He wondered why they had overlooked this in their agreement not to leave the boy on his own until they discovered why Sephiroth was following his son. "Continue," he almost demanded, although he knew his anger should not be directed at Riku.

"First, he just stared at me for a moment, and then he just…started talking," the silver-haired boy complied.

Cloud interrupted; "What about?" This time, it did come out as a demand.

"That…" Teal eyes turned away before Riku continued, "That he had failed me." At Cloud's pressing look, the boy elaborated. "He talked about my mother…and what they had planned on, what happened instead… He said that they had always planned on being there for me, on keeping me safe, but they failed, and that he was to blame for both of their failures."

Cloud was not sure what to make of this. He had expected Sephiroth to try to convert, manipulate, use, or otherwise destroy the boy. Instead, it sounded like the man only wished to explain and, in a roundabout way, apologise to his son. He still would not put anything past the man whom he knew to be so twisted and evil. "How did Leon come into the picture?"

"After a while, Leon showed up," the trepidation was in the boy's voice once again. "I guess he wanted to check in on me. He pulled out Revolver right away, but Sephiroth just glanced at him and said he was glad he arrived because he wanted to ask about the nature of our relationship."

Cloud blinked at that. It had sounded funny when Zack teased Leon about Sephiroth threatening him like many men do their child's (although usually girls') potential boyfriends, but now it did not seem nearly as comical. "So you left them alone together?!"

"I didn't want to," the boy defended. "Leon asked me to leave, then Sephiroth agreed, and then they both insisted that I leave. You know them, you know what I mean."

Cloud had to admit that the kid had a point…not aloud though. Instead, he asked, "How long have they been there?"

"About twenty minutes," Riku answered, glancing at the door again.

Cloud wondered if the boy had sensed something, because just then the door opened. Leon had the neutral-bordering-annoyed look that he got when dealing with someone or something that he would rather just fight or ignore. Only a few people would have also recognised the telltale signs of relief in the stoic man. Sephiroth was nowhere to be seen.

"He's gone," Leon commented to Cloud before turning his full attention on Riku, who seemed to be inconspicuously looking over the man for any sign of an injury or recent duel. "We didn't fight. I'm fine."

The boy was in his arms as soon as he finished speaking. A brief moment later, and Riku's slightly muffled voice drifted past Leon's shoulder. "He still isn't stable yet…and he used the darkness to leave. I think that was because he knew Cloud was here. I can't figure out what he wants…"

Leon stroked the boy's hair and gave Cloud a small nod to say that he believed Riku was right. Cloud did too, and he did not bother to wonder why neither had seen fit to tell him that the kid could sense Sephiroth's presence well enough to tell so much about him when there was a closed door between them. The blonde man knew he had brought that on himself.

Riku pulled away just enough to look into Leon's eyes. "What happened?"

Cloud crossed his arms and kept his attention on Leon. "I'd like to hear this too."

Both were surprised when a small smirk appeared on the brunette's face before he looked down at Riku to answer. "Let's just say that, sane or not, that man goes feral when it comes to keeping you safe."

"Did he threaten you?" Cloud asked.

"Yes, he also told me a few of the things he's done in Riku's defence already," answered the scarred man.

"Do I want to know?" asked the teal-eyed boy.

"No, and I'm not telling you either way," responded Leon. Then, he glanced at Cloud, "Or you."

Mako blue and teal eyes met before the boy shrugged. "Fine; I need to finish isolating that virus anyway."

Leon and Cloud both stayed in the Heartless Manufactory while Riku remained in the computer room.

"The kid doesn't seem fazed by the fact that Sephiroth is following him," stated Cloud. "So do you think he only intends to protect his boy?"

"He's not the only one," answered Leon, "And I'm not leaving the job to someone whose intentions and actions have differed so much in the past."

"You said 'feral' before; what did you mean by that?" asked the blonde.

"I meant, if anyone hurts that kid, they better hope that me or Zack finds them before he does," answered the steel-eyed man.

"Have all of you forgotten that the kid can probably protect himself better than any of you can?" asked Cloud.

Leon shook his head slowly, and gave Cloud a look that clearly said, _you don't get it_. Aloud, he only said, "Whatever."

Then the brunette fixed his gaze through the door to the room where Riku was working.

Cloud followed his friend's stare. "You know, I actually understand where you and Sephiroth are coming from with this." At the sceptical look he received, the former SOLDIER continued. "He's Sephiroth's son and your uke-"

Steel blue eyes narrowed, "My _what_?"

"So I can see why each of you would 'go feral' to protect him," continued Cloud as though he had not been interrupted. "What I don't get, is why Zack would, and we both know he would."

Leon looked back in Riku's direction. While his expression had not changed, Cloud knew he was wondering about that as much as he was.


	125. Auspicious

_Prompt: Auspicious_

_Given by: hanakitsunechan7_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Mentioned Sora/Penelo; Implied Zack/Aerith & Pre-Leon/Riku_

* * *

Sora exited the Gummi ship in Cid's garage to find the Gummi mechanic giving him an odd look.

"Not that it ain't good to see you, but what the hell are you doin' here?" asked the blonde man. "Jailbait would have said something if the Darkness or Keyblades were acting up."

"Jailbait…?" Sora repeated in amusement. "We have the week off school, so I decided to check on Riku. Is he okay?"

"Why wouldn't he be?" questioned Cid.

"Why aren't you answering?" countered Sora, looking a little worried.

"The kid's fine. He's finally starting to open up a little and make some friends," responded Cid, eyeing Sore curiously. "He's also a damn big help around here. Why are you so worried? Is there something wrong with him?"

"No, I just…" Sora rubbed the back of his neck nervously and shrugged. "I just worry about him. He…I don't know." The spiky-haired teen shrugged again.

"Well, why don't you go and see him while I see how much damage you've done to my ship," commented the old pilot.

Sora looked torn between feeling pleased and insulted. Finally he simply waved and ran off, "See you, Cid!"

Sora headed for the Borough, figuring that someone at Merlin's old place would know where his best friend was. Once he arrived, he found a tall man with black hair and violet eyes looking through some papers on the table in the centre of the room.

"Hi, do you know where Riku is?" asked Sora.

The man raised an eyebrow; he looked over Sora once as if checking for weapons or something before replying. "That would depend on why you're looking for him."

Blue eyes blinked. Sora had grown accustomed to not getting straight answers when it came to Riku, but he had not expected someone who could have only known his friend a couple months at the most to be so defensive of him. "Er, I'm his friend…Sora, I-"

"Oh," the man's entire body language relaxed and he smiled easily at the boy. "Sorry about that, I didn't know who you were and some folks around here haven't been very welcoming to the kid. I'm Zack by the way, I'm a friend of Leon and Cloud's…and Riku's I suppose."

Sora smiled broadly back at the man. "Oh, well it's nice to meet you." The smile dropped, "Wait…what do you mean some people haven't been very welcoming of Riku? He didn't have anything to do with what happened here. Has anyone-?"

"Relax kid, he's alright. He was involved in the darkness, and some people can't understand that he's just a kid and that he was used," answered Zack. "But don't worry. We have Riku covered. Anyone messes with the kid, they'll have us to answer to…assuming he doesn't teach them a lesson himself. Personally, I wouldn't piss him off and I can kick Cloud's ass any day of the week."

The raven-haired man did not sound boasting, but Sora believed him and he knew what a feat that was. "Thanks. I'm glad Riku's staring to make some friends here. So…do you know where he is?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry about that," Zack smiled at the boy again. "He's in the computer room with Leon. Go through the Bailey, if they're on break, they're probably there."

"Thanks," Sora replied. "Does Riku spend a lot of time with Leon?"

A strange smirk touched Zack's lips. "Oh, yeah; they're getting real close."

"Good," Sora smiled as he left the small house. He paused when he could have sworn he heard Zack snort, but decided to continue looking for Riku anyway.

At the Bailey, he found not Riku and Leon, but Cloud. "Hi, Cloud. What's up?"

The blonde man nodded to him. "I didn't expect to see you for a while. I take it you're looking for Riku?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?" asked Sora.

"Every time we meet, you're looking for Riku," remarked the former SOLDIER. "He and Leon finished up earlier than expected and decided to head home early."

"Home?" repeated Sora. It sounded odd to hear of anywhere referred to as Riku's home now.

"Leon's house," Cloud elaborated. "You don't know where that is, do you?" When the boy shook his head, the blonde continued. "Come on, I'm done for the day anyway."

The walk was fairly quiet. Sora noticed that Cloud seemed uncertain of what to say when he asked about Sephiroth, so the teen decided to ask about the town and its residents, all of whom seemed to be moving on very well.

When Leon answered the door, Sora was surprised to see the man smiling, as though he had been laughing before coming to see who was knocking. The smile dropped slightly though when the scarred man saw Sora, and his steel-blue eyes darted to a doorway on his right. "What's going on?"

Cloud snorted, Sora blinked in confusion, and the he heard Riku's voice drift through the doorway Leon was gazing thorough. "What-?"

Riku walked into the room quickly, took in Sora and Cloud's expressions, and then grinned slightly at Leon. "Nothing's going on…gees, I swear you're almost as bad as he is," the boy's silvered head indicated Sora.

"What's that supposed to mean?" said Sora.

"You both worry about me too much," answered the teal-eyed boy.

"I do not," stated the spiky-haired boy defensively.

Riku shrugged lightly, "So what brings you here?"

"I er…I was worried about you," admitted Sora with a slight blush. Cloud snorted again. Leon smirked and shook his head.

Riku stepped aside to make room in the doorway, "Want to stay for dinner?"

"Sure," said Sora as he walked into a cosy living room.

"You too," said Leon as Cloud entered. "Zack and Aerith are coming over and I want Zack to have multiple targets."

"How do you put up with him all day and night?" the blonde asked Riku as he entered.

"He's not as easy a target as you are, so I lay off him," remarked Leon, "And he's more intelligent."

Sora and Cloud sat at the table while Leon and Riku fixed dinner, the four friends talked about little things, like what each of them had been up to. Shortly before dinner was ready, Zack and Aerith arrived. Aerith insisted on setting the table and volunteered Sora to help her.

While they were completing the task, she questioned both Sora and Riku about their schoolwork, asked Sora about his girlfriend, Penelo, and inquired about Kairi.

Throughout dinner, they all talked and joked. Sometimes the others would start to discuss different projects, plans, or ideas for the restoration, which Sora did not know much about, but that Riku seemed quite familiar with. Leon and Riku told Zack about something to do with computers that seemed lost on everyone else; Zack alternated between teasing Cloud and Leon, and then made plans to spar with Riku the following day.

Aerith stopped at one point to try to coax Riku into eating more, stating that he was too thin and worked too hard. This caused Leon to suggest the silver-haired boy go to bed early as he tucked some of the teen's hair behind his ear. Zack and Cloud smirked and Aerith made a soft humming sound.

Somewhere throughout the night's events, Sora realised something: Riku could be happy on Radiant Garden.

The teal-eyed boy was smiling more than he had after they returned home to the islands, and was even joining in the conversations and teaming up with Zack to torment Leon and Cloud. It was the first time since their reunion after Riku was locked in Kingdom Hearts that Sora could see some of the old Riku shining through the dark shell that had encased his friend.

Here, Riku had people who not only knew about the Heartless and darkness, but who could also understand what he had gone through. They cared about him and accepted him as he was. Sora also noted that while Riku was expected to be the leader, the cool, calm, and collected one back home, here, he was the baby, for lack of a better word. He did not have to live up to anyone's expectations and could finally just be himself.

Sora smiled, watching Riku laugh along with Aerith as Zack and Leon recounted one of Cloud's more embarrassing childhood experiences, much to the blonde's annoyance.

His best friend's future looked promising for the first time in nearly two years, and most importantly, Riku looked happy.

Sora was pulled into a conversation with Riku, Leon, and Zack, as Cloud and Aerith talked about planting some trees around the city.

As he lay on Leon's sofa that evening, Sora did not worry about his friend's future as he had been since the boy left their home world to live here.


	126. Benevolent

_Prompt: Benevolent_

_Given by: hanakitsunechan7_

_Setting: Radiant Garden: Pre-KHII_

_Pairing: None; Implied Pre-Leon/Riku_

* * *

The silver-haired boy sat silently as the man carefully wrapped his injured wrist. Riku was perfectly capable of treating his own wounds, but Leon had quietly insisted…Riku wondered if he somehow felt guilty for the injury.

Even blindfolded, Riku was a formidable opponent, and he really could not blame the man for throwing all he had into their spar. In fact, it was what the boy had wanted; he needed to learn to fight like this with an enemy that would not care what was fair and what was not.

As the pair of larger, warm hands gently handled his wounded one, Riku could almost see Leon's concerned expression in his mind's eye. The man's presence, voice, and even his scent altered to reflect the guilt he felt at hurting the boy.

Riku had only truly seen Leon briefly once, months before, through a dingy window, but it did not matter if he could remember what the man looked like correctly or not. It was not his looks that impressed the boy, or caused him to respect the Gunblade wielder.

Not only was Leon strong, skilled, and determined, but he was also quite kind and he tried to help others without any self serving agenda. Riku had not met many benevolent people before; in fact, aside from Mickey and Sora, he could not remember anyone being so kind to him without wanting something in return...or wanting to use him.

That was part of why he had originally come to this world again; he wanted to escape DiZ and Naminé for a while. Although it held only painful memories at the time, Hallow Bastion was familiar, and Riku missed being somewhere familiar. He knew DiZ and Naminé were not like Maleficent and Ansem, but they still had their own agendas, which they would not share with him. They still just wanted to use him to fulfil their own goals.

Then, he came across Leon in the old castle ruins, and his shattered sense of trust had begun its slow repair as he befriended the kind man. Between Sora, Leon and Mickey, the blindfolded boy had a near constant reminder that there was more to people than darkness and manipulation.

Leon finished securing the bandages, but he did not release Riku's hand right away. The boy felt a calloused thumb brush across his knuckles as the man hesitated before he gently released his hand. After a brief pause, Leon commented on how impressive Riku's skills had become and then suggested they stop for the day in light of the boy's injury.

Riku could not help the small smile that graced his features. It was nice to have someone he could trust.


	127. Hikikomori

_Prompt: Hikikomori_

_Given by: hanakitsynechan7_

_Setting: Destiny Islands; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Sora stood before the bridge, watching the distant figure of his best friend while he sat on the Paopu tree, his long silver hair blowing in the breeze as he paid no mind to it.

Sora sighed. His friend had started to withdrawal from everyone around him shortly after their return. At first, Sora had thought that perhaps he was grieving over his mother, or that he simply needed some time to adjust to normal life after living as a shadow for over a year.

However, instead of adjusting, Riku seemed to introvert further with every passing day. He spent as much time as he could alone, usually in the most isolated areas he could find on the islands, and he never spoke of his own volition anymore.

Now Sora was beginning to wonder if his friend had lived in the shadows so well for so long for more reasons than just necessity. Perhaps the teal-eyed boy simply could not cope with all that had happened and then return to society, as Sora had. While the spiky-haired boy did not know his friend's whole story, he knew it was more complicated and a lot darker than his own was.

Whereas Sora's self confidence and social skills had flourished over the past year and a half (even though he had slept for a year of it), Riku's had wilted. The worst part was, that Sora had no idea what could be done about it. It was not as though his friend could go to therapy or a counsellor about what had happened.

Nevertheless, the brunette could not just stand aside while his best friend became a hikikomori. He tried challenging his friend, but that had not seemed to change anything other than to prove just how much Riku had learned while Sora was asleep. He also tried talking to Riku, but the boy would not go into any more detail about his story, and insisted that Sora not worry about him.

Kairi had suggested that maybe Riku just did not know how to connect with people anymore or how to behave around them. Sora thought that could be easily remedied, but he was not so sure anymore. It seemed that the islands were working against him. Everyone either expected to have the old Riku back, or was too curious about his yearlong absence to let him forget it.

Sora thought of Leon, who was known for being stoic and reticent, but who still was very involved with his community and had several friends. Then, he thought of Cloud, who had wandered for so long and tended to brood, but who had returned home and rebuilt his old friendships. He had thought that with time, Riku would recover as they had.

Now it felt to the boy as though time were running out for his friend. Sora could no longer make excuses; Riku simply would not last here. No one could reach him or relate to him here. Everyone expected too much of him. Nothing had changed, but he had…too much to return. Sora sighed again before he started to cross the bridge.

It was time to let him go.


	128. Superego

_Prompt: Superego_

_Given by: hanakitsunechan7_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Everything seemed to happen so quickly, Zack barely had time for thought other than the words _not Riku_, which kept running repeatedly through his mind as he desperately tried to keep himself between Sephiroth and the boy.

The former colonel vaguely felt a strange mix of relief and disappointment when Cloud arrived to help him. Zack would have done whatever was necessary to protect the boy, but he would not have killed the former General if he could help it. Cloud would aim to.

In the span of a heartbeat, Zack made his decision. He backed away from the duel, pulling Riku with him. He would protect the kid first, and his friends second…if he could.

"What are you doing?" asked the teal-eyed boy as the former colonel pulled him back by an arm around his waist. Zack's other hand was still gripping his buster sword...just in case. "Shouldn't we help?"

"You shouldn't be involved in this," answered Zack. "Don't worry, Spiky's done this before."

The boy arched a silver eyebrow. Zack wondered if the kid knew how much he resembled one of the duelling men before them.

Sephiroth suddenly vanished after smirking and saying something to Cloud that Zack did not catch. The blonde man turned angrily and approached the other two.

"What were you thinking, taking him on by yourself?" he demanded of the teenager, who did not seem intimidated at all by his anger.

"He attacked me," responded Riku levelly. "What was I supposed to do?"

Cloud turned to Zack, "And why were you avoiding killing him? You have a better chance of taking Sephiroth than I do!"

Riku's voice reminded Zack to stay focused. "That was Sephiroth?"

The violet-eyed man nodded. "You've never seen him before?" He watched the boy carefully as he seemed to consider the question

Finally, the silver-haired boy shook his head. "Sora and Cloud have mentioned him a couple times."

"So have I, just not by name," commented Zack. "You know those stories I told you from when I was in Ansem's elite guard?"

"You and Sephiroth were friends?" The boy raised his head to meet Zack's eyes, his own showing confusion, gratitude, concern, regret, and something like an apology. "Then why did you…?"

"He was my friend," Zack conceded, "One of the best friends I've ever had, actually. That's why I've never gone after him like Cloud has, but if any part of my friend still exists in him, then he would understand that I'm protecting you and that's what he would want anyway."

"Why?" asked both Riku and Cloud, the boy looking afraid, the man looking angry. Zack realised they were both suspecting the correct answer.

The raven-haired man decided it would be less painful to say it quickly. "Sephiroth is your father, Riku."

For a moment, none of them spoke. Riku had paled and looked distant, Cloud looked confused and angry, and Zack was simply watching the other two, waiting for their reactions.

"Are you sure?" asked the boy weakly.

"Positive; I even held you a couple of times when you were a baby," answered Zack. "I promised Seph once, that I would protect you if he couldn't… We were talking about Hojo at the time, but I intend to keep my promise, even if it means protecting you from him instead."

"So _that's _why you've been so defensive of the kid," stated Cloud. "Why didn't you say anything about all of this before? I didn't even know Sephiroth had a child."

"Very few did. Think about it Cloud," stated Zack in an unusually serious and firm tone. "Sephiroth had the Jenova cells put into him as a fetus. They are a part of his DNA just the same as if she really was his mother. He had a child. What do you think Hojo would do if he found out about that child? How far do you think he would have gone to get his hands on that kid? Sephiroth didn't want Riku to go through that, and I promised to keep the secret. I'm trusting you to do the same."

"I don't think Hojo is who you need to worry about anymore," commented Cloud after a moment of thought. "The Sephiroth we knew is gone, and if the evil shell that's left knows about Riku-"

"He isn't evil," Riku interrupted. "Most of the darkness in his heart…it isn't his. It's like when Xehanort's Heartless invaded my heart…someone else's darkness is tainting him."

Cloud looked torn between frustration and guilt. Zack hardly paid him any mind though. "Are you saying that Sephiroth himself hasn't accepted the darkness into his heart entirely? How can you be sure?"

"I can smell it…and sense it," Riku answered, looking a little embarrassed and confused. "I can't explain the scent thing; it's just something I've been able to do for some time now. I don't know how. The sense part…I can't explain that either…Sorry."

"That's fine," Zack said. "I'll take your word for it. Now I just need to figure out what this means."

"It doesn't matter Zack," Cloud chimed in, "He still has to be stopped."

"I agree on the latter," said the violet-eyed man. "But this means there might be another way of doing it."

"He just attacked his own child," Cloud stated forcefully. "Even if his heart hasn't been consumed by the darkness, he's too far gone for us to bring back. Why shouldn't we just end this the only way we know how to?"

"Because it's wrong," Riku said defensively. "I ignored my conscience in the past, and it was the biggest mistake I've ever made. I'm not doing that again."

"And if you had been trapped by Xehanort's Heartless for longer, would you rather have lived like that, or died?" asked Cloud.

The conflict and pain in the boy's eyes made Zack speak the words he normally would have refrained from using. "And how many times have you _killed_ him already, Cloud? Maybe it's time to try a different approach."

Cloud opened his mouth to retort, but Riku interrupted first. "Don't fight over this," he said softly. "You're friends…why don't you both take some time to decide what you truly think is the right thing to do?"

The two men looked at each other and nodded. "We should head back to town," Zack said. "Wouldn't want the others to assume something else was going on now."

Cloud scoffed and began walking ahead. Riku rolled his eyes and walked alongside Zack.

As they all walked in silence, Zack knew they were each contemplating what to do, and he assumed Riku and Cloud were also processing the new information he had given them. He wondered if Riku realised just how much had changed in the past few minutes, or how powerful of a question he had posed to the former SOLDIERs.

Then, Riku's voice broke his train of thought; "Hey Zack?"

Zack glanced at the boy beside him, "Hmm?"

"Thanks," the boy was looking down, but Zack had a feeling he knew what the kid was thinking about anyway. After another brief silence, the boy spoke again. "So…do you feel like explaining who Hojo is and why I needed to be protected from him?"

Zack released an odd chuckle that was mainly relief. "I don't know if I'm the best person to explain it-"

"I think you are," Riku interrupted softly.

Zack grinned, "Fine; you'll probably understand it all better than I do anyway. Why don't we wait until tomorrow, though? Give yourself a chance to process what you've already got to deal with…we all have some things to think about…"

"Okay, but I'm not letting you get out of it tomorrow," said Riku.

"I would expect nothing less from you," Zack said with a fond smile.


	129. Watermelon

_Prompt: Watermelon_

_Given by: xKeybladexMistressx_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Leon/Riku, Tifa/Rude, Zack/Aerith, Sora/Penelo_

* * *

Leon and Zack walked into _Seventh Heaven_. Reno was sitting at the bar, talking to Rude and Tifa. 

Zack tried not to laugh when they saw Tifa dressed as an old style bar wench and sitting in Rude's lap, while he was dressed as a royal guardsman.

"I bet that's helped business," commented Zack, earning him a snort from Reno, a glare from Tifa, and a stony stare from Rude.

"Oh you know I'm kidding," said Zack.

"That's fine, you aren't going to be looking at me for much longer anyway," said Tifa with a smirk.

"Why do you say tha-" Zack stopped as Leon's mouth actually dropped open when he followed Tifa's eye line.

Zack turned, mirrored Leon's expression, and then turned back to the scarred man. "You lucky bastard; Aerith's dressed like a nun." He turned back to Tifa, "Since when do you let kids in here anyway?"

"I'm letting Yuffie give away candy at the door, so the kids won't actually come in," answered the mahogany-eyed woman. "Riku stopped by looking for Leon and volunteered to help her decorate her table."

"I really didn't expect to see him dressed up…like _that_, yo…not that I'm complaining," commented Reno.

"He lost a bet," remarked Tifa. Leon did not appear to be paying any attention to them. Zack doubted he cared how this had happened anyway.

Yuffie and Riku were indeed setting up her candy station. Both dressed at kittens, complete with rhinestone-studded collars, ears on headbands, and tails hanging off their belts.

Yuffie wore a white jumpsuit, and had on a fluffy jacket and boots. Riku wore black pants that defied physics with how form fitting they were, and actually had his midriff exposed with the rather tight long sleeved tee he was wearing, which was also slightly transparent.

When they completed setting up the candy station, the young woman held up a few brightly wrapped candies toward the boy. "Want a blow-pop?"

"Sure," he answered as he took one of the offered sweets.

"What flavour did you get?" Yuffie asked Riku.

"Watermelon," answered the teenager, "You want it?"

"Yeah, that's my favourite," said the hyperactive ninja.

"Anyone else thinking it might not be the best idea to give Yuffie candy?" asked Zack.

"Have you ever noticed that watermelon candy never tastes like real watermelon?" asked Yuffie, both she and Riku seemed completely unaware of the others' conversation or the looks they were getting from passer-bys.

"Sora used to ask about that," replied the silver-haired boy as he chose another lollipop and started to unwrap it. "I think they just can't match the flavour, since it's sort of subtle."

"Is this going to be your first year trick-or-treating without him?" asked Yuffie as both sucked on their lollipops.

"For as long as I can remember, yeah. He considered coming here, but he wanted to be with Penelo. They're going to Kairi's party together," said Riku. "He made me promise to have fun even though he's not here."

"He's going trick-or-treating?" asked Leon. He brought a hand up to his face. "Gods, I'm a paedophile…"

"No offence, but right now, so am I, yo," commented Reno.

"You aren't even gay," said Leon.

"Neither are you when it comes to anyone besides Jailbait," said the tattooed man.

"You're going with him, right?" said Zack, glancing at Leon.

"I don't think Leonhart's the trick-or-treating type," said Reno with a smirk.

"You guys aren't the only ones who are going to have this kind of reaction," said Zack, as he indicated a group of men who slowed down to watch the two by the candy station as they passed the tavern.

The smirk dropped from Reno's face. "Damn…He's got a point. Jailbait's screwed."

Leon was already walking to Riku. The boy noticed his approach and met him halfway with a kiss.

"Do you want to come trick-or-treating with me?" he asked, his voice oddly clear around the lollipop he had returned to his mouth.

"Do you think I'm letting you wander around alone like this?" asked Leon in response.

"In that case, take these," the silver-haired boy handed the steel-eyed man a candy sack, and a leash.

Leon looked at the leash in his hand. It matched Riku's collar perfectly. The Gunblade wielder seemed unable to speak at the moment.

The boy chuckled, "Don't ask…I'll explain later."

"I doubt that's all he'll be doing later, yo," commented Reno as the scarred man walked out of the bar, leading Riku by the leash.

* * *

_Happy Halloween everyone!_


	130. Children

_Prompt: Children_

_Given by: BlackIceNinja_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Zack/Aerith, Leon/Riku_

* * *

Zack and Aerith entered Leon's house to see why the man who was usually obsessed with the restoration had not arrived at the site they were currently working on at the usual time that morning.

"Zack, maybe we should knock," said Aerith. "You did say his obsession was being tempered by a more…personal passion as of late."

"Yeah, but I doubt he's brought himself to go that far yet," said Zack. "And if he has, it'll just make this even more entertaining."

Aerith rolled her eyes and was about to call out when they passed the kitchen and she saw Leon sitting at the table. She pointed him out to Zack and the smirk dropped from the raven-haired man's face. The Gunblade wielder looked tired and distant as he stared into his cup of coffee.

"Leon," Zack said, causing the other man to look up quickly. His face looked as impassive as always within seconds. Zack raised an eyebrow at his friend. "What's wrong?"

Leon shook his head very slowly, "It's Riku…"

"What wrong with him?" asked the former SOLDIER, looking concerned. At the same time, Aerith asked, "Did something happen?"

"He's alright…I suppose," Leon sighed. "He's been having nightmares and lately…they're getting worse."

Aerith tapped the tip of one finger against her lip. "You know, Kairi wrote to me last week saying that Penelo mentioned Sora was having really bad nightmares. When I inquired, Sora said they're mainly fears he had while he was fighting the Heartless…like losing Riku or having Kairi and the others forget him."

"Riku won't tell me what his are about," said Leon thoughtfully. "I think they're from that same period though. He shakes and cries in his sleep and wakes up either screaming or sobbing. I hate not being able to do anything."

"You don't do anything when he wakes up screaming or sobbing?" asked Aerith knowingly.

"Well of course I do _something_, but you know what I mean," answered Leon irritably.

"You probably are helping," said Aerith calmly, "You can't do any more for him unless he's willing to open up and, unfortunately, he's just a stubborn as you are about hiding his emotions and weaknesses."

"Do you ever give advice without the side helping of guilt or insults?" questioned Leon. He sighed again, "That's it then, I'm making him tell me tonight."

"He has to cope at his own pace Leon," commented Aerith gently. "You can't force him to."

"So you think both he and Sora are just having trouble coping?" asked Leon, although it did not sound that much like a question.

"Of course they're having trouble coping," said Zack, looking frustrated now. "Did it honestly never occur to any of you that these Keyblade chosen wielders, who everyone just watched go off to save the worlds and fight monsters and villains and darkness, were actually just a couple of children?"

Leon looked guilty; Aerith turned to Zack sternly. "That isn't fair Zack. It's true, they were and are just a couple of kids but there weren't many options at the time. There were plenty of battles to be fought and we did the best we could by Sora. We made sure he stuck with Goofy and Donald and helped him ourselves as often as we could."

"We could have done more, Aerith," commented Leon. "Zack has a point…and we didn't do _anything _for Riku."

"What could we have done?" asked Aerith, now turning back to Leon. "Maleficent got to him first; we didn't even know he existed for most of the time, and we didn't know where he was or if even if he was still alive until after everything was over. Sora didn't even know."

"Besides," the woman alternated her stare between the two men. "We didn't have a way to travel between worlds until after he was possessed; shortly after that, he and Sora fixed everything and then we couldn't travel between worlds. Not to mention how much we all forgot for a year. So you tell me, how were we supposed to help Riku and what more could we have done for Sora?"

Both men looked chastised enough, so Aerith nodded to Leon and gave Zack a kiss on the cheek before leaving to finish planting some gardenias and calla lilies in the community garden.

The two men turned to one another after she left.

"I'm still not letting those children go off by themselves if the Keyblades call again," said Zack mildly.

"Agreed," Leon stated flatly, "And I'm still making Riku tell me what those nightmares are about."

"Understandable," remarked Zack with a nod, "And we're not telling Aerith about any of it."

"Agreed," Leon nodded. "Now let's get to the site. We have a lot of work to do and I'm still frustrated."

The raven-haired man smirked, "I expected Riku to have helped with that by now…especially since it sounds like you two are sleeping in the same bed."

"Whatever…" Leon shoved his friend out the door before locking it behind him.


	131. Gang

_Prompt: Gang_

_Given by: BlackIceNinja_

_Setting: Destiny Islands; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Sora/Penelo_

* * *

Kairi and Selphie were sitting on the dock, watching Sora, Penelo, Tidus, and Wakka spar. It was supposed to be a free-for-all, but shortly into the joust, Sora had unsurprisingly refused to attack Penelo, which led to them teaming up and the other two boy's teamed up to balance it out as much as they could.

Penelo and Tidus threw some jibes back and forth, until Tidus presented his bum and smacked it as he called something over to the opposition. This caused Sora to fall to the floor laughing as he muttered something about heartless jungle monkeys. The others had long since given up on trying to figure out some of the odd things he said since his unusual reappearance.

When the spiky-haired boy recovered, Penelo attacked Tidus and the four were absorbed in their spar once again. Kairi cheered on Sora and Penelo, while Selphie rooted Wakka and Tidus on.

"You know," said Selphie after a moment. "Things are really starting to get back to the way they used to be…aren't they?"

"Well, the gang is mostly all back together," Kairi responded, "But I don't think it's going to be the same."

Selphie thought for a moment, and then nodded. "Yeah…Do you ever think that it's almost like some of us are trying to fill in the gaps that Riku left behind?"

Kairi blinked, partially in surprise that _Selphie _had just asked that and partially because she realised it was true. "You're right… Sora's the one everyone else tries to top now, as far as races and spars go…and Tidus has taken over as the cocky one of the group."

"I think he always was the cockiest, we just didn't notice before," stated Selphie. Kairi nodded her agreement. "And Penelo has definitely become the witty one…" added the brunette.

The auburn-haired girl nodded again, "She's also pretty good at coming up with new schemes for us to try…and Wakka's becoming the one we go to when we need the advice of someone older. I even heard Sora asking him for date advice the other day."

"_Oh_, that's so cute," said Selphie, sounding like her old self again.

Kairi giggled, "I guess some things don't change though…you're still a hopeless romantic."

Selphie nodded now, "And you're still a lazy bum…"

"Hey!" Kairi said, trying to sound indignant even as she laughed. "Yeah…I guess so. Sora's still lazy too, you know."

"Sora's also still goofy and kind of dim," said Selphie.

"Sora is Sora," commented Kairi. "If everything that's happened hasn't changed him, then I don't think anything will."

"That's nice," said Selphie, sounding unusually sincere. Kairi knew she was thinking of another friend, and how much the silver-haired boy had changed during his yearlong absence.

"It is," agreed the auburn-haired girl, turning to look at Sora, who was still laughing and panting as he tried to get close enough to Wakka to strike the older teen. She smiled, "I hope he never changes."

"Me too," Selphie smiled in return.

Then both girls returned to watching their friends and rooting them on.


	132. Quirk

_Prompt: Quirk_

_Given By: BlackIceNinja_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None; Implied Leon/Riku & Past-Sephiroth/OC_

* * *

It all made sense now.

Sometimes, when Riku was upset or afraid as a small boy, his mother would brush some of his hair aside as she tried to calm him down, and the comforting gesture along with her smooth voice would indeed calm him.

Sora and Kairi had unknowingly mimicked this gesture when he was with them while they played as small children, during times when he would refuse to look at them because he did not want them to know that he upset, afraid, or uncomfortable. Like with his mother, he always found the gesture to be calming.

Riku assumed that he reacted this way to such a simple act as brushing his hair aside because it was his mother and best friends. They loved him and the gesture showed that they cared. He believed that this was actually why it soothed him.

After Kingdom Hearts, Riku wondered if they had actually been trying to see his eyes while calming him down, but the gesture had felt comforting anyway, so he supposed it did not matter. Besides, his mother had passed, and Kairi and Sora never repeated the gesture anymore now that they were older.

Then, shortly after their return home, Sora and Riku had gone to Radiant Garden. Riku was slightly uncomfortable around all the new people at first, although he did his best not to show it. Naturally, hiding his eyes had been one of his main defences.

However, one day while he was discussing computers with Leon, the man has brushed aside some of his hair the same way and gently tucked it behind his ear. Riku immediately relaxed and felt more trusting of the man after the comforting gesture.

Afterwards, this had struck the boy as odd. True, he respected and even liked Leon, but he did not know the man very well and he was slow to trust. He also did not normally like to be touched by anyone except his closest friends.

As he and Leon grew closer, Riku thought that perhaps it had been his heart trying to tell him that he should trust this man and be calm around him, for that was certainly the case once they got to know each other. Leon continued to be the only one to brush Riku's hair that way.

Until a couple months later, when Zack approached Riku while the boy was contemplating something at the Bailey. Without preamble, the former SOLDIER brushed Riku's hair aside in the same manner as he asked if he was all right. Riku was instinctively soothed by the gesture once more.

Riku noticed that it was only when his hair was brushed aside a certain way when Aerith had pushed his bangs aside one day, and he did not have the same reaction. In fact, he had been made more uncomfortable by the unexpected contact. After that, he began to believe that it was the gesture itself that caused the reaction…that it was indeed instinctive.

What Riku wondered then, was why he had such a quirk. It seemed to him that the gesture had always caused this reaction within him...even before the first time his mother had done it. He did not seem to be touch-sensitive like that in any other way either.

Then a strange gang attacked him as he walked to the old castle one day. He knew Leon and Zack would not be pleased that he gone alone, but he could handle more Heartless by himself than anyone. However, these were not Heartless, and they did not seem to be normal humans either.

Just as Riku had been thinking that perhaps he should have heeded the men's advice about wandering alone, Sephiroth appeared and the boy assumed he was dead anyway. Instead of attacking him however, the silver-haired man aided him. Together, they defeated their opponents quickly.

Riku was injured badly; Sephiroth told him to remain still, and that Zack was coming. Then he brushed some of Riku's hair aside in a familiar comforting gesture that calmed the silver-haired boy immediately. Sephiroth quietly commented that the child's hair had been falling into his eyes since he was born. That statement struck Riku…but not as odd like it should have.

As the boy's teal eyes took in the man's silver hair (which was exactly like his own), fair skin (much like his own, once he had left the islands), and delicate bone structure (just like his, much as he didn't like to admit it), something clicked, and he saw Sephiroth in a completely new light.

It all made sense now.


	133. Emptiness

_Prompt: Emptiness_

_Given by: Taora_

_Setting: Destiny Islands; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None; Implied Pre-Sora/Penelo_

* * *

During his initial journey to find Riku and Kairi, Sora was only vaguely aware of the time that passed. Even if he had stopped to consider it, he would not have given it any mind. The islands and most of their inhabitants were gone, Kairi was unconscious, Riku was a victim of manipulation and was later possessed, and it was only a few months anyway.

When Sora awoke in the strange chamber and he, Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy discovered that large empty space in their memories, he found it odd, but soon became too wrapped up in continuing his search for Riku and later, fighting the Organization, to really think on it.

When Yen Sid pointed out how much he had outgrown the clothes he was wearing, Sora had at first been too embarrassed to consider how that was possible, and later he was too interested in the magical clothes the Good Fairies made him and the new abilities they gave him to remember it.

When the spiky-haired teen and his friends returned to Hallow Bastion for the first time, and saw how far the restoration had come along and how well all of his friends here were doing, Sora had felt something pulling on the back of his mind. It was as if he were missing something that should be obvious, but was not. However, between the excitement of seeing Leon and the gang moving on and his growing concern for Riku, Sora had dismissed the feeling.

When the blue-eyed boy found out that everyone had forgotten him and his friends for a period and Cid asked where they had been all that time, Sora had again been embarrassed, but he also felt that pulling in his mind grow stronger, and it seemed connected to the gaping hole in his memories. However, shortly after that, he had his first contact with the Organization and the Keyblade called him to another world, and he soon forgot about that too.

Throughout the rest of his second journey, Sora was again, only vaguely aware of the amount of time passing. Had he been more aware of it, he would have been more concerned that he still did not know where Riku was or if he was all right after a few months of travel. He knew all of his other friends were fine, and what were a few months of being away from home? Especially when they meant being able to return with his best friend.

When Sora saw Kairi again for the first time, something in his mind stuck. Kairi had changed…much more than she should have in only a few months. However, before he could truly ponder this or even considering mentioning it to the girl, he found Riku. The impact of finding his friend, especially in the condition he was in, had erased all previous thoughts and concerns from Sora's mind for the time being. When he returned to his thoughts, his focus was in finishing the Organization, helping Riku, and returning home with his dearest friends.

When Sora truly saw Riku again for the first time after the heart shower, he was too pleased that his friend had returned to his true form and caught up in the explanation for it to question how much Riku's appearance had changed as well. Then, Riku brought his attention back to the battle they needed to finish, and Sora had no time to consider lost time.

When Sora first returned home with Riku, he was too happy to be home again to think of any of the previous questions about empty memories and lost time. They received a letter from the king, informing them that interplanetary travel was still possible for those who had the means, but that they could never tell their story to those who did not already know of the existence of other worlds. The king also stated that they should never speak of Kingdom Hearts to anyone, and that the battle was not truly over, for Maleficent and Pete still occupied The World That Never Was. With all of this new information, Sora did not notice how much everything had actually changed in his absence.

It was not until Sora saw his other friends again, that he realised how much he had missed while he was away. He had noticed how much Riku's personality had changed, but he had just assumed it was due to his experiences over their resonating journeys. However, his other friends had changed too. Wakka and Tidus were stronger and more skilled, Selphie was less hyperactive and more observant, Kairi was more focused and well mannered, and Penelo was more skilled and far prettier than she had been when Sora last saw her. All of his friends had changed.

The day before Sora and Riku were to find out about re-entering school, Riku had asked to speak to Sora alone. All of the questions and feelings the spiky-haired boy had forgotten or pushed aside came back to him when his friend asked him how long he thought he had been asleep. When Riku told Sora that he had slept for nearly a year, Sora was not sure how to react. All of the changes he had noticed and the empty spaces in his memory made sense in that moment.

…And suddenly that emptiness felt much more prominent.


	134. Death

_Prompt: Death_

_Given by: Taora_

_Setting: Destiny Islands; KHI opening_

_Pairing: Referenced Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi)_

* * *

Hilargi woke with a start to find a strange and powerful squall wreaking havoc outside. She immediately headed for Riku's room, knowing the odds were against him being there. When she found that he was indeed missing from his bed, she cursed herself for not pulling in the reigns years before.

The claret-haired woman stepped outside to see if Riku was merely playing in the tree he had dubbed as his. He was the only child residing in the small, single levelled apartment complex they lived in, so no one had ever challenged it as his. Hilargi often wondered how he could just sit in a tree for hours sometimes, but his father had been the same way. She shook away the stray thoughts as she glanced into it's branches.

Upon discovering the tree empty, Hilargi headed down the street and around the corner, where there was a small park where Riku sometimes played. While walking there, she realised that this was no ordinary storm. She quickened her pace; a feeling of anxiety began to overwhelm her. She knew something was terribly wrong. She had to find her child.

Hilargi's feeling of impending doom increased when she found the park empty. She decided to return home and call Mrs. Hiruma, praying that Riku was still there with Sora. At the first sign of trouble, Riku tended to want to check on his mother, and Hilargi did not want him wandering around in this.

As she turned to leave the park, what at first appeared to be dark puddles began to move. Then, dark creatures with glowing eyes began to rise from them and started to crawl in her direction. Even as Hilargi told herself not to panic, she felt her heart rate quicken. When the creatures swarmed toward her, Hilargi bolted.

One of the creatures slashed her leg and she kicked it as hard she could without stopping in her flight. Hilargi began to feel dizzy and glanced down, the wound was not bleeding enough to cause concern, and she decided not to slow down to heal it. She began to have difficulty catching her breath as she turned into an alley she had told Riku not to use as a shortcut only months before.

More of the strange creatures began to climb out of the shadows in the alley, their glowing eyes standing out in the darkness. Hilargi began to feel nauseous as she knocked over a trashcan and one of the creatures slashed her back. She struck it with the lid from the garbage bin and regained her footing. She knew she had to keep moving. She still did not know where Riku was.

As she began running again, Hilargi felt a steady pressure begin in her chest and then the pain in her back increased as her arms began to throb. That was when she realised what was happening and felt tears of anger and regret pool in her icy blue eyes. The words, _not now…please, not now_, were running through her head over and over again.

Hilargi's heart had been severely weakened the day Sephiroth attacked her under Jenova's influence. It had left her in a state of permanent poor health…frail was the word the healers liked to use. She had delicate health, they said. That was part of why Ansem chose the islands when she needed to take Riku into hiding. She continued to run despite the pain and dizziness.

Hilargi did not make it another block before she knew it was too late. The pain and pressure in her chest had increased too much, and was spreading into her left shoulder. She had been a well-known and respected healer on her home world. She knew a fatal heart attack when she heard the symptoms. She cursed as the pain increased…her first thought was that Riku would be devastated.

As more of the strange creatures began to swarm, Hilargi continued her feeble retreat, knowing it would cause little difference. Whether these creatures killed her or she died of a heart attack, she was still leaving her child alone in a world he did not belong in. In that moment, she hated Hojo, Shinra, and Jenova more than she ever had before.

Hilargi collapsed to the ground only a few yards away from the apartment complex. Dark spots began to cloud her vision even as she saw the odd dark creatures coming for her. Suddenly, she did not feel any more pain, and was actually quite warm and comfortable. She wished she could have seen Riku one more time. That she could have told him some of the things she never had gotten around to saying…things that she should have said.

Most of all, she wished Sephiroth was there, and wondered if perhaps she would see him again the next time she opened her eyes…because she knew that would never happen again in this life.


	135. Paedophile

_Prompt: Paedophile_

_Given by: Taora_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Leon/Riku, Tifa/Rude_

* * *

Leon, Riku, and Zell were leaving one of the reconstruction sites after a long day.

"Want to stop by the tavern and make Zack pay for a couple rounds since he managed to snag the easy job?" Zell asked, looking to Leon.

"I still don't know how he managed that," said the scarred man. He glanced at Riku, "Do you mind?"

The silver-haired boy shook his head, "Have fun. I have some homework to get done anyway."

The sable-haired man smiled slightly and tucked some the boy's hair behind his ear, allowing his fingers to brush against the adolescent's cheek and jaw line as he lowered his hand. "I won't be too late," he said quietly.

The boy rolled his eyes and offered the man a small smile. "Have fun," he repeated. "Bye Zell," he added with a small wave before turning down the road that led to Leon's house, where he was also staying.

"Bye kid, thanks for all the help," Zell called after the teal-eyed boy. Riku waved over his shoulder to acknowledge the unnecessary thanks as he continued walking.

"He works too hard," Leon commented. His steel-blue eyes remained fixed on the boy's retreating form until they walked too far to see him. Then he looked forward again.

"Must be your influence," Zell responded with an odd distant note to his voice.

The two men walked the rest of the way to the tavern in silence. Once they entered, they called a quick hello to Tifa, who was behind the bar, and asked for their usuals before finding Zack at a table in the corner and seating themselves by their other friend.

Zack and Leon talked over their drinks, both noticing that Zell was oddly pensive and quiet. Their tattooed friend kept glancing at Leon from time to time, as though he were trying to work something out.

"Well," said Zack after he finished his second drink. "I'm going to hit the porcelain. Why don't you two start in on whatever's going on while I'm gone?" With a pointed look at Zell, the raven-haired man left the table and paused on his way to the restroom to speak to Rude, who was clearly waiting on Tifa.

Leon turned to Zell. "Well, were not going to get out of it now. So what's with you?"

The blonde took a deep breath. Leon understood that this was something he did not necessarily want to say, but felt the need to. "What's going on between you and Riku?"

Leon paused for a moment before he sighed as well. "I wasn't sure if I should say anything yet. It's a bit…complicated."

"Complicated?" repeated the blonde. "He's underage…and not just barely. Leon, the kid is sixteen."

Leon made a sound somewhere between a groan and a sigh. "I know that Zell…trust me, I didn't get into this lightly and I didn't expect it to happen."

"It shouldn't happen," replied the blue-eyed man. "He's a _child_. You don't…get involved with children, Leon. It's sick."

"Sick?" Leon repeated with a slight edge to his voice. "He's sixteen, not twelve, and he's really mature and intelligent. Notice that everyone he gets along with here are the adults our age?"

"Because he doesn't know how to connect with people his own age after all the crap he's been through," retorted Zell. "Notice that he's at home doing his homework? And by the way, when did your house become 'home'?"

"When he started living there, which you were the first person to suggest, as I recall," stated Leon, his eyes starting to narrow.

"I suggested it because I thought you could do the kid some good and maybe open up a little in the process," said the blonde man. "Not because I thought you would do the kid and open-"

"Zell, I know you mean well, but you're about to cross the line," The Gunblade wielder interrupted in a dangerous tone.

"You're the one who's crossing the line," retorted Zell, starting to sound angry. "Leon, you are getting romantic with a minor."

"_What_?" asked a new, rather surprised, voice.

Both men looked up to see Tifa standing over them with a shocked and slightly angry expression. "Did I just hear that right? Leon, explain…now."

This time, Leon definitely groaned. "Riku and I are together."

"Leon!" exclaimed Tifa. She then dropped her voice and continued in an angry whisper. "Riku is just a kid! He isn't ready for that type of relationship."

"Why do you both assume I'm in his pants already?" questioned Leon irritably. "We haven't been together that long yet."

"_Yet_?" repeated Tifa. "Riku is a _kid _Leon. Sure, he might seem above his years in some respects but he's behind in others and either way, he isn't ready. This is such a confusing time for him. You cannot put him in that position."

"I would _never _put him a position to do anything he did not want to or wasn't ready for," hissed Leon.

"But who'll decide when he's ready?" asked Zell, "You? How are you going to check without putting him in that position?"

"And you can't tell me that your needs and your desires aren't going to be taken into consideration," added Tifa. "You're a grown man, you're on an entirely different level then he is."

Steel-blue eyes narrowed further. "Do you two honestly think I cannot control myself? Do you actually think I would take advantage of him? ...That I would use him like that?"

"Hey, hey…what's going on?" asked Zack as he returned to the table. He eyed the other three wearily as he sat back down.

"Apparently, Zell and Tifa think I'm lust driven paedophile," commented Leon, still glaring at the other two.

"What?" questioned the violet-eyed man. "Back up, what did I miss?"

Leon closed his eyes and took a steadying breath before looking at his raven-haired friend. "I'm with Riku."

Violet eyes blinked. "You're what?" Zack deadpanned, "Please tell me you haven't slept with him…or touched him in any inappropriate way."

"I haven't slept with him, and you'll have to be more specific," replied Leon.

"_What_?" Tifa hissed. "You're already molesting the boy?"

"I am _not _molesting him," Leon snapped. "We're together. We do things that couples do. We have not gone very far, because I _am _aware of his age _and _his issues, and believe it or not, I _am _sensitive to them and I _do _respect him."

Zack held up a hand, which stopped Zell and Tifa before they could offer the responses they clearly intended to. "Leon, you know how I feel about Riku. Now I trust you won't mistreat him, but any physical relationship between you two is illegal and it will be for a long time. Are you sure you want to peruse this? I love you both like brothers, but know that I won't hesitate to go after you if you do anything to hurt that kid."

"Thanks for the warning Zack, but it isn't necessary," stated Leon dryly. "I know the risks. I know the consequences. I know this won't be easy. I also know that Riku's worth it…_All _of it. I've never been attracted to a kid before, hell, I've never been attracted to a male before, but somehow I've fallen for that boy...and before any of you even think of suggesting it, this is _not _just a physical matter."

Zack studied Leon's eyes intently, as if searching the other man's very soul. After a moment, he nodded once. "You've heard what I have to say. If you and Riku can be happy together, then great…but if you hurt him…"

"I would never hurt him," Leon stated. "I love him."

Zack nodded, "Good. Prove it to me by doing right by him."

Tifa and Zell both looked at Zack with incredulous expressions. "You actually are going to condone this?" asked the mahogany-eyed woman.

"If they do love each other and are willing to take this slow, then I think they can be good for each other," said the former SOLDIER.

"Riku is an adolescent," stated Zell. "He's not ready for this. He probably doesn't even know what type of love he's feeling. There's a reason this is illegal. It's not good for the kid."

"I don't think you're giving Riku enough credit," stated Zack. "He's careful with his heart. That's why he's so guarded. He's not just some love struck teenager or a schoolboy with a crush."

"But he _is _a teenager and he _is _a schoolboy!" replied Tifa. "He's likely to get confused. He's been through a lot, Leon understands him and treats him well…shows him affection that no one else does, add to that hormones and everything else that comes with being his age…he's going to go too far before he's ready."

"That would be a concern even if he were with another kid his age," commented Zack. "At least Leon I trust to keep his head and take care of the kid. He won't pressure him or take advantage him."

"Thank you Zack," said Leon, eyeing the other two stonily. "It's nice to know _one _of my friends trusts me to control myself."

"It's not that I don't trust you," said Tifa, her expression softening slightly. "You're better at controlling yourself than most men, but you're still human. You've already had a few drinks tonight. Now you're going to go home to a beautiful boy who trusts you and cares for you very deeply. It would be too easy to get carried away, but you can't take back anything you do to him."

"I now that," said Leon, his tone and expression loosing some of its previous edge. "Believe me, I've worried about that more than once. I held out on even acknowledging how I felt about him for this long because of it, but I'm not going to risk losing him by either chickening out on the whole thing or by taking it too far too soon."

Tifa sighed, and then squeezed her eyes shut for a moment before looking into Leon's eyes again. "I can't condone this and I don't like it, but I hope it works out…for both of your sakes. I do trust you Leon, just _please _be careful with this."

"With Riku, I'll always be careful," said the scarred man. "Thank you Tifa; that's all I can ask of you."

"Actually, you're going to have to ask something else of all three of us," stated Zack, earning him curious glances from the other three at the table. "You live with Riku, Leon. He's underage, and you've admitted to being in a less than platonic relationship with him. That's illegal. We have to agree right here that we are going to keep this between us…and I don't know what started this, but obviously you're going to have to be more careful with how you interact with Riku around other people."

Leon nodded, and then alternated his gaze between Tifa and Zell. "I'll be more careful, but that's a moot point if you guys aren't going to keep this to yourselves."

"I won't tell anyone," said Zack offhandedly. "Even if I have to break your legs…I'll come up with an excuse, okay?"

Leon smirked wryly, "Thanks Zack." He then turned his attention back to the other two.

Tifa sighed. "I'll probably rant to Rude about this for a while, but I won't tell anyone else and I can guarantee that he won't either."

"I appreciate it," Leon said with a small nod, He looked at his other friend, "Zell?"

"I've supported you though a lot in the past and you've done the same for me, but I just cannot be okay with this," said Zell. "That said, I don't want to see you in trouble, so I'm not going to say anything. You're my friend Leon, but this just doesn't sit right with me. I'm sure we'll be okay, but…" The tattooed man shook his head and released a heavy sigh, "I'm going to need some time to come to terms with this, okay?"

Leon nodded; he also knew that they would be all right. They had friends for too long for this to tear them up. "Thank you, Zell. I understand…I needed some time to come to terms with this too."

The four friends sat in silence until it was closing time. Then Tifa left with Rude, Zack and Zell headed for their respective homes, and Leon went home to Riku.

The boy was asleep on the sofa, his finished homework and a half-eaten apple on the coffee table. Leon sat down beside the teen, pulling the boy's upper body onto his lap and stroking his hair. Riku made a soft, contended sound and snuggled into the embrace. Leon closed his eyes and sighed.

It was worth it.


	136. Stupidity

_Prompt: Stupidity_

_Given by: Taora_

_Setting: Twilight Town; Pre-KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Seifer walked down the road to the Sandlot, intending to meet up with Fuu, Rai, and Vivi.

Shortly before arriving, he noticed a girl standing with her back towards him. Two things caught his attention about her; one being her long silver hair, and the other being that she was wearing a long black coat in the summertime. As he walked closer, Seifer noticed that there were two black ties mixed with her hair; it seemed she had a length of black cloth tied around her forehead.

"Hey," called Siefer as he got closer, "You new around here?"

The girl turned to face him, and two more things struck Seifer. One; the black band was tied not around her forehead but her eyes, and two; he was not quite as certain that the girl was a girl anymore.

"Who are you?" Seifer asked, giving 'her' a once over.

If the person before him had not been wearing a blindfold and keeping their face downcast, Seifer would have sworn they were staring at him…maybe even sizing him up. "No one of any consequence," said a smooth voice that definitely belonged to a boy.

"Hey, I don't like strangers acting suspicious around _my _town," said Seifer, now using his toughest tone. Something about the boy gave him an uneasy feeling, and he hated anyone who could do that…especially with one simple movement and statement.

A subtle smirk graced the lips of the stranger just before he answered smoothly, "_Your _town? Hmm…I've met several rulers in my time, and you don't seem cut out for it. Better stick to your foam swords a little longer."

"What did you just say to me?" Seifer hissed. Just then, Fuu and Rai came up behind him. "Guys," he addressed his friends, "I think it might be time to take some disciplinary action."

"Oh, how cute," said the strange boy, his voice laced with sarcasm, "You even have your own lackeys. I see you decided on the classic big and dumb as well as the growingly popular quiet and loyal type. Nice choice."

The blonde hesitated, wondering how the other boy could 'see' his friends while blindfolded. "I don't think you know who you're messing with, outsider," said Seifer, his annoyance growing.

"Neither do you," stated the silver-haired boy, all of the humour abruptly leaving his soft voice.

"Well we don't like strangers causing trouble in our town," Seifer said, ignoring the boy's response and trying to gain the upper hand. "So I suggest you leave before you find out."

"I'm not going to be here for long," said the strange boy, not sounding or looking intimidated in the least. "I don't feel the need to waste my time by proving that your stupidity outweighs your attitude."

"Hey, no one talks to Seifer like that, ya know?" Rai said as he stepped forward, hands fisted. Seifer wished his friend had made an effort into not fitting the boy's earlier description of him.

"Good thing I'm no one then," said the blindfolded boy softly, although he still did not seem intimidated at all.

"I think it's time to teach the no name his place," said Seifer. Rai and Fuu immediately stepped forward and assumed a defensive stance. Seifer smirked, "Let's see how cool you are now, kid."

The boy gained that hint of a smirk again as he adjusted his stance slightly. He did not attack however, and when Rai did, all Seifer could process was the black coat and silver hair flowing out as the boy spun around quickly, avoiding Rai's fist and taking hold of his wrist. Before Seifer or Fuu could react, their friend was on the ground in a few quick motions by the blindfolded boy.

Fuu attacked quickly afterwards, but the boy barely seemed to put any effort into besting her. It did not seem that hand-to-hand was his primary fighting style, but he drew no weapon…and he was proficient enough without one. Seifer would have been impressed with the way the boy moved if he were not defeating his friends.

"It's just you and me now, pretty boy," said Seifer, still determined not to back down or show his previous thoughts about the boy. "You asked for it…don't disappoint me now."

Seifer pulled out his struggle club, infuriated by the sudden memory of the boy's earlier taunt about it, and lunged at the blindfolded teen. The boy moved his hand as if he were going to block with another weapon, and suddenly a strange sword (at least Seifer was pretty sure it was a sword) appeared in his hand. The odd weapon pushed aside the struggle club even as it materialised.

Before Seifer could attempt to recover or distance himself from the silver-haired boy, he felt a solid object strike him in the nose. As his eyes watered up, Seifer realised it had been the boy's palm. Before he could react or even recover, he felt another strike to his solar plexus, knocking the air out of him. Then a leg sweep knocked him down.

The silver-haired boy stood still, his head still lowered…Seifer vaguely realised that he had never properly raised it. "I have what I came here for. I'll be leaving now. You won't see me again." Without another word, the blindfolded boy turned and began to walk away.

"Hey," Seifer called out weakly. The boy stopped and turned his head. If he were not blindfolded, it would have appeared that he was looking over his shoulder. "W-what's…your name…?"

"Shadows don't have names," said the boy in that same soft tone, "They don't deserve them."

The last thing Seifer saw before he lost consciousness was the boy taking a few steps forward before disappearing into the shadows as though he truly had been a part of them.


	137. Prince

_Prompt: Prince_

_Given by: Taora_

_Setting: Destiny Islands; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

"I am so looking forward to Friday," said Sora as he walked home from school with Kairi and Riku.

"Uh, Sora…you've travelled the words," said Kairi, "Why are you this excited about a field trip we take every year?"

"Because we don't have to do any class work," answered the boy as if it should have been obvious. "I'm better with the hands on stuff…"

"Except that you're usually too lazy to do any of it on your own," commented the auburn-haired girl.

"So? So are you," countered the spiky-haired boy.

"I'm going to end up doing eighty percent of the work again, aren't I?" commented Riku.

"You're going to be in our group?" asked Kairi, sounding surprised.

"Of course he is," said Sora. "He always ditches the kids in his year and works with us when we go to there…why wouldn't he now?"

"Well, I wasn't surprised that he _would _group with us," stated Kairi. "It's just…I didn't think he could go."

"Why not?" asked the spiky-haired boy.

"Well…" Kairi bit her lip and offered Riku an apologetic expression. "You need to have your parents sign the permission form…and he doesn't have parents anymore."

Blue eyes widened slightly and then Sora turned to Riku, "I…I didn't even think of that…but, Riku, how have you been able to do _any_thing?"

"Actually," Kairi turned her attention to the silver-haired boy as well, "That's a good question. Why haven't you been sent to the orphanage on Chance Island?" Sora's eyes widened further and Kairi's did as well before she hastily added, "Not that I want you to be, of course, it's just…"

"It's okay, I know what you meant," said Riku. He seemed reluctant to meet his friends' eyes…even more so than usual. "I was going to have to go to either the orphanage on Chance or a foster home on Fate, but then I got legal guardians. So, don't worry about it."

"What guardians?" questioned Sora. "You live by yourself in a tiny apartment. Why aren't your guardians taking care of you?"

"I don't need to be taken care of," commented Riku, looking away from his friends. "I just need someone to sign papers and accept legal responsibility for me."

"Riku…you _do _have guardians, right?" Kairi looked at her friend, even though he was not looking at her. "You're not forging signatures or anything are you?"

"No, I really do have legal guardians," said Riku, his voice became even softer than usual when he added; "They just don't live on this world."

All three adolescents stopped walking. Sora looked confused, Kairi looked shocked, and Riku still was avoiding their gazes. The two younger teenagers were staring at their friend.

"What- How does that work?" said Sora. "We aren't allowed to let anyone know that other worlds exist. How do you explain that your guardians don't live on the islands?"

"And aren't there only a few worlds that have the technology to travel or communicate between worlds?" added Kairi. "Besides, why would someone from another world want you?"

"Gee, thanks, Kairi," commented Riku flatly.

"No," Kairi said quickly, "I didn't mean it like that…it's just…well, you didn't make a lot of friends travelling like Sora did, so I just didn't think you knew anyone who could do it."

"I know, Kairi," Riku said before taking a breath and then beginning his explanation. "We have a method of communicating with one another. No one here knows that my guardians live off world. They think they live on one of the other islands and just allow me to continue attending my old school rather then changing everything on me. ...And I did meet a few decent people once I got free of Xehanort's heartless...or mostly free anyway. I didn't just work with villains…"

Kairi looked more apologetic than before. Sora shot the girl a look before returning his attention to Riku. "We know that, Riku. The only one here who blames you for any of it is you. I'm glad you got to know some good people too…and that someone was good enough to prevent you from getting shipped off to the orphanage or going from home to home on one of the bigger islands."

Riku nodded slowly, "Thanks…"

The three friends began to walk again, slower this time as each entertained their own thoughts.

After a moment, Sora cleared his throat. "Er…Riku?"

The other boy was watching the ground before his feet. "Hmm…?"

"Er, you never said who your guardians are," stated the spiky-haired boy. "I figure they have to be from Radiant Garden, since they're the only ones who have Gummi ships."

"Two more worlds do too," corrected Riku, "You've gotten Gummi parts and repairs on Traverse Town and at Disney Castle."

"Oh yeah," said the spiky-haired boy.

"You still haven't said who they are," stated Kairi. "Is there a reason why you're nervous about this?"

"Just keep an open mind, okay…?" asked Riku.

Both of the others stopped again. Riku ceased walking a couple steps ahead and turned, but did not face his friends fully. Kairi and Sora exchanged curious glances and then returned their attention to Riku with duel nods. Somehow, they knew he saw them.

"My guardians are Mickey and the Queen," said the silver-haired boy.

Kairi looked confused for a moment, then bit her lip, and clamped a hand over her mouth to prevent herself from laughing once she realised who that was.

Sora looked slightly confused as well; "Mickey as in _King _Mickey…the mouse with the Keyblade? That Mickey...?"

"Yeah, his majesty; I actually don't know any other 'Mickey's," stated Riku dryly.

"Huh, neither do I," commented Sora before looking pensive for a moment. "Er…Riku?"

The teal-eyed boy still did not move, "Hmm?"

Kairi was turning red in her attempts to hold in her mirth, while Sora seemed to be looking for the right way to phrase his question. Finally, the boy took a breath and his friends knew he was just going to blurt it out.

"Does that mean you're a prince now?" asked the blue-eyed boy.

There was dead silence for the span of a heartbeat and then both Kairi and Riku turned to look at Sora. Kairi's mouth actually hung open for a moment.

"He tells us that a couple of anthropomorphic mice from another world have adopted him, and _that's _your only question?" the auburn-haired girl demanded.

"Well…yeah…" responded Sora, rubbing the back of his neck in confusion and embarrassment.

"Don't worry, Kairi," said Riku calmly, "A year ago, we would have found that odd too." Riku turned, and both he and Sora continued walking. "Oh, and to answer your question, I'm not sure. I guess so, since I'm technically his heir now."

"Oh, Cool," said Sora. "So you're definitely going on Friday then, right?"

"Mmm-Hmm," replied the silver-haired boy with a nod.

"Good," Sora answered as he linked his hands together behind his neck, "It wouldn't be the same without you."

Kairi walked behind her two friends as Sora continued talking about their upcoming field trip, and the boys began talking about plans for the weekend. "I'll never understand those two," she muttered before raising her voice; "Hey you guys, slow down so I can catch up…and Sora, remember you promised you'd come see that movie with me on Sunday…"

The three friends continued their walk home as usual, with Kairi teasing Sora from time to time and the spiky-haired boy trying to talk Riku into helping him with his homework, which generally translated into him doing most of the other boy's work.

No one else understood why Sora smiled brightly and Kairi broke into laughter when Riku handed in his permission slip at school on Friday morning.


	138. Nothingness

_Prompt: Nothingness_

_Given by: Taora_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHI/CoM_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

The last thing Zack could recall with any clarity was fighting alongside Cloud and Tifa.

The Heartless had them overpowered and greatly outnumbered as they fled, destroying as many as they could on their way, and knowing it could very well be their last acts. Zack recalled one of the larger ones -he had never learned what each individual type was called- attacking Cloud with frightening speed and precision as several more of the _really _big ones joined the fray.

He remembered calling for Cloud to run and manoeuvring himself between the Heartless and his friend. After that, everything was a blur until he was bathed in white light.

The former SOLDIER could not say for how long he drifted through nothingness. All he could see was white. He could feel nothing. Sometimes he heard people speaking, but they were either snippets of old conversations or discussions between voices of those long since passed.

When Zack suddenly felt his body touch solid ground, he did not know where he was. He heard a young man's voice apologise, and say that he was going to try to set things right. After that, violet eyes opened and he realised he was still on Radiant Garden, near Hallow Bastion…only it had changed.

He had no idea how much time he had lost, other than that it had to have been years for the world to have altered so much…probably close to a decade. He had no weapon, no plan of any sort, and no idea of where his friends were.

Zack turned and headed toward the town. He had no idea what had occurred here in his absence, but he cold only think that he had to find his friends. He hoped they were all right. After what happened to Genesis and Sephiroth, he could not stand the thought of losing his other friends as well.

Even burdened by these thoughts, Zack felt oddly light as he headed towards his home.


	139. Decisions

_Prompt: Decisions_

_Given by: Lurelnm_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

The king wanted him to go. There were already plenty of people helping on this world. There was no reason why he could not just go and continue his search for Riku…and now Kairi as well.

Blue eyes looked up and he saw his other friends, newer but no less dear to him, battling thousands of Heartless as they swarmed from the Dark Depths. They needed him too, whether more or less than Riku; he had no way of knowing. He did not know what condition or position his best friend was in…but he knew that his friends here needed him now.

It was then that Sora realised how rarely he had truly made any decisions for himself on this journey.

He had never actually chosen not to follow Riku in the beginning. He had stumbled upon Donald and Goofy, or vice versa really, and gone with them when Leon (who had found him) told him to. After that, he had mainly gone alone with whatever was happening; only reacting to what was immediately in front of him and not considering how his actions would affect the future, the worlds, or his friends.

He felt like a piece of driftwood caught in the tide, going wherever the waves pushed him and offering little resistance.

Riku had at least made some of his own decisions. True, that meant his mistakes were his own, but it also meant his triumphs were more his own than Sora's were. The spiky-haired boy knew he was in for a telling off from his best friend when the silver-haired boy found out about it all. Assuming his friend was still the same…and was even alive.

It was time to take the helm…time to start making his own decisions. He just hoped he was making the right one, and that his friends would understand.

Sora took a breath; "Riku, Kairi...give me a little more time, okay?"

He finally made a choice while understanding the possible repercussions.


	140. Consequences

_Prompt: Consequences_

_Given by: Lurelnm_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Pre-Leon/Riku & Implied Leon/Riku_

* * *

Leon walked down the long hall leading to Ansem's study, willing himself not to run. He knew that he was probably just overreacting, and he was certainly being over protective. When he neared the door to the study, he heard an odd sound and stopped to determine which direction it had come from.

He heard a small gasp come from the room ahead of him, followed by a shuffling sound. Then he heard Reno grunt before releasing a rubbery sigh and then groaning at the same time that a loud thud sounded in the room. When the latter noted sounds did not cease, Leon strode forward quickly and barged into the study.

…And straight into Riku, knocking the teen to the ground as he had apparently been about to exit the study.

"Doesn't _anyone _knock around here?" Riku said, seemingly to himself, as he began collecting some papers that were strewn on the ground around him. He took a quick glance behind him as he did so.

Leon followed Riku's slightly nervous and rather irritated glance and saw Reno lying on the floor, red faced and curled into himself as he clutched his nether regions and groaned weakly.

"What happened?" asked Leon, glaring at Reno before turning back to Riku with a comparatively softer gaze.

Riku answered in a neutral tone as he stood and shifted all the papers in order. "He touched me in a way I didn't like and suffered the consequences…I doubt he'll try it again."

Reno made what Leon assumed was supposed to be a sound of confirmation as the Gunblade wielder glared at him. His voice was lethal when he spoke to the Turk. "You _touched _him? After the warning I gave you? Don't ever come near him again, do you understand?"

Reno nodded weakly and Leon turned to Riku again.

The boy stared at Leon blankly, ignoring the man writhing on the ground behind him. His eyes showed irritation, disappointment, and a small amount of fear, which Leon suspected was lingering from the event that took place before he entered the picture here.

Riku's voice was soft and neutral as he spoke though. "After all the stories Sora has told; after everything _I've _told you; after the number of times you've seen me fight and spar…you can't possibly see me as some helpless kid…"

Steel-blue eyes blinked and simply fixed on the boy for a moment. He had not expected him to feel insulted; of course, he had not expected him to know about the way Leon had been looking out for him either.

"You don't, right…?" A trace of hurt showed up in those teal eyes as well now.

Leon sighed. He knew the boy was not aware of the position he was placing him in. "Of course not, but just because you can take care of yourself doesn't mean that I don't want to take care of you."

Reno made a choking sound that possibly originated as a laugh. Leon shot him another glare before returning his attention to Riku.

One silver eyebrow arched. "So you _want _to take care of me? Why is that?"

Leon smirked. "And all this time I've thought you were the most observant of the Keybearers."

"The sad thing is," Reno croaked out weakly as he tried to sit up, "I think he is, yo."

Both Riku and Leon glared at the redhead.

"Hey," The Turk held up one hand in a surrendering gesture as he met Leon's eyes. The other hand was still supporting his injured privates. "I didn't know he was yours, okay? I thought it was just a-"

Reno fell quiet at the icy glare Leon shot him before turning back to Riku once more. The boy watched him with a searching gaze for a moment, and then a small smirk touched his lips.

"You're just taking care of what's yours, then?" he asked smoothly.

Leon was not sure how to answer that at first, but then he noticed the questioning edge to the boy's eyes as well as the small glimmer of hope. "Yes," The Gunblade wielder responded easily.

The boy smiled lightly, "Okay, then." He tapped the papers in his hands. "I better go get these to Cid before he loses his patience. I'll see you at home tonight."

"I'll be home early," Leon stated as he returned the smile. Then he leaned down and placed a soft kiss on the boy's lips.

After Riku left, Leon turned to Reno. "Next time you touch what's mine; you'll suffer _my _consequences, understood?"

Reno nodded; Leon smiled as he left.

No one understood why the usually stoic man seemed to be in such a good mood all day, why he suddenly decided to stop for the day earlier then he ever let anyone go home before, or why they did not see a certain Turk all day.

They were even more surprised by how contented Leon seemed the following day.


	141. Regrets

_Prompt: Regrets_

_Given by: Lurelnm_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Pre-KHII_

_Pairing: Leon/Riku_

* * *

Leon had been rushing through some blueprints when he noticed Aerith's lip twitching, as though she were fighting a smile. He turned to look at her fully and raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"What has you in such a rush today?" she asked in a tone that suggested she already had a strong suspicion as to what the answer would be.

"We're losing power left and right for no apparent reason," answered Leon irritably, "And Riku's coming later this afternoon."

Aerith did smile now; clearly, she had thought this was case. She was one of the few people who knew the actual nature of Leon's relationship with the boy. "It's almost the end of the afternoon now. How long will he be here?"

"Just for a day, he has to leave sometime tomorrow," answered the scarred man. "That creep he's working with has some job for him to do…he thinks it will help with that friend he's been trying to save."

"He'll understand if you have other duties you need to attend to," commented Aerith kindly. "He's just as devoted to his cause as you are to yours."

"He always understands," replied Leon with a slight smile of his own. "That's one of the things I…" The smile disappeared, "But this visit was supposed to be special."

Something in Aerith's eyes shifted, she had clearly caught the abrupt change in subject, "Special; how so?"

"It's Riku's sixteenth birthday," answered the Gunblade wielder. "He just wanted to spend some time with me, but I had hoped to do some more notable celebrating. He hasn't had anything that normal kids his age experience in so long…but you're right, he'll understand."

Aerith tilted her head and frowned slightly. "There's something else, isn't there?"

Leon sighed, he answered with an unusually troubled tone. "I just have this feeling…Like I'm not going to see him again for a long time. He hasn't told me all the details yet, but I know that what he's doing is dangerous. I also know that he's more than capable of defending himself, but there's something about this that has him shaken. I don't like it."

For a moment, neither of the two friends said anything as Leon located the blueprints he had been looking for and put the others away. He rolled up the ones he would need and turned as if to leave.

"You have two options," said Aerith abruptly. She continued with a sympathetic expression; "You can either explain to him that something came up with the restoration; that you're really needed there, and then make it a short visit. He'll still have what he wanted, and maybe your concerns will turn out to be unwarranted."

Leon looked sceptical and Aerith continued with an understanding tone after a shot pause. "Or…you can back off on the restoration for the day. True, the others probably won't have it fixed for another day without you, but you'll be able to spend more time with Riku; give him some sense of normality before he is thrown into the mess he's been dealing with all over again. And if your fears turn out to be right, you'll both have had something special together to get you through it."

Leon crossed his arms. "I'm going to regret this no matter what I decide."

"I know," Aerith said sadly. "And you have enough regrets as it is…you both do, I think."

Leon released a small, frustrated groan. After taking a breath, he held up the blueprints. "Will you give this to Cid and tell him I'm busy with something else today?"

The green-eyed woman smiled, "Gladly."

The steel-eyed man headed home. There he made a few preparations and cleaned himself up a little before heading out to the crystal fissure, where he would meet Riku. After he had only been waiting a few minutes, a portal opened and the silver-haired boy stepped through.

Even before Leon could say anything, the blindfolded teenager turned to him as the boy's shoulders notably released some tension. "Hi,' Riku said with a small smile.

"Hi," Leon returned with a smile of his own. He then stepped forward and pulled the teen into a firm embrace. After a moment of just relishing the fact that the boy was there and safe, Leon leaned down to kiss him.

Normally, any contact between the two was careful and chaste. They were rarely together and when they were, they had to be certain not to advertise their relationship. Moreover, Riku was young; Leon did not want to push him.

However, the feeling that he would regret it dearly if he did not use this time with the boy to show him just how he felt continued to pull at Leon. In response, the scarred man put as much passion and depth into the kiss as he could. He started slow, giving Riku the opportunity to pull away if he wanted to. The boy stayed right where he was, melting at the contact.

After several minutes of delving into the boy's mouth and exploring his svelte body with his calloused hands, Leon broke the heated contact and held Riku against him, inhaling the scent of his hair as Riku tucked his head into the nape of the Gunblade wielder's neck.

"Wow…" Riku said softly after he caught his breath, "Someone missed me…"

"Happy birthday," Leon said quietly after he caught his own.

"Thanks," Riku said, he then murmured something against Leon, which sounded suspiciously like _to you_.

"Do you have to leave tomorrow?" Leon asked.

Riku made a small sound of confirmation, although he did not seem any more pleased about it than Leon was. "There's someone we need in order to bring Sora back. I have to retrieve him."

Leon knew it was pointless to tell Riku to be careful. Aerith was right; the boy's devotion to his goal was too strong. He would not be reckless, but he would do whatever it took. "Be careful," he whispered anyway.

"When are you free?" Riku asked quietly in response.

"I'm taking the rest of the day off," Leon answered. Riku looked up in surprise. "I want to. I want to spend as much time with you with I can. Come on; let's go back to my place."

Riku nodded and Leon kept one arm around his slender shoulders as they walked to his house. There were few people out that day, and Riku's blindfold would serve as a good enough excuse if anyone did enquire about it. Leon found that he just did not want to release the boy.

The rest of the afternoon was spent talking and simply being together. Leon made dinner for both of them later and had made a birthday cake earlier, complete with sixteen candles and the words _Happy Birthday Riku _on it, even if the boy could not see it. The smile on Riku's face as he felt the heat of the candles and listened to Leon sing _happy birthday _made it worth it anyway.

Another passionate kiss later in the evening went much further than Leon had planned as he laid Riku back against the bed before bodies and hearts joined. Leon was not surprised when he only felt relief as the words _I love you _escaped his lips, and likewise, felt only peace when Riku gasped the words back. He knew they both truly meant them.

Leon had thought he would regret leaving the restoration alone for the day. He thought he would regret not helping to rectify the power issues. He definitely thought he would regret what he did with Riku that evening. However, the next day, he found that his only regrets were that he did not have more time with the boy, and that he could not make everything aright for him.

Leon smiled to Aerith when he returned to the restoration project after Riku left the next day. He decided that she had been right. He and Riku did each have enough regrets.

…But their time spent together would never fit among them.


	142. Tenure

_Prompt: Tenure_

_Given by: Aeriel33_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Implied Leon/Riku & Past-Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi)_

* * *

Leon and Zack were talking in the latter's living room when there was a knock on the door.

"Now what?" questioned Leon, glancing at the wall clock.

"It's not _that _late," commented Zack as he stood and headed for the door. "It could just be Cloud coming over to bitch about something or Yuffie high on leftover Halloween candy."

Leon snorted as Zack opened the door. The easy smile he had been wearing slipped slightly when he saw Riku. The teen's expression was impassive, but his eyes showed confusion, a hint of sadness, and seemed very deep in thought.

"Riku…? What's going on? Come in," Zack stepped aside and ushered the silver-haired boy into the room and to the couch.

Leon had stood when he heard Zack's greeting and moved to sit beside the adolescent as he placed a hand on Riku's back.

"I'm fine," Riku said as both watched him with slightly concerned expressions. "Gee, I can't stop by one evening without you guys going into a mild panic?"

"Something's on your mind," Leon stated levelly. "It's obviously something serious and it's concerning you. That's enough to merit some alarm, considering that it's you."

Riku rolled his eyes, "Well relax. I'm okay. I just found something sort of odd a couple days ago and I need some help figuring it all out. I don't know if either of you know anything about this stuff, but you're the only ones I can ask anyway…Zack, you know about my parents, right?"

The raven-haired man blinked and exchanged a concerned look with Leon. "Yeah…I do. You do realise that's the closest to rambling you have ever come, right? What's going on?"

The teal-eyed boy held up a large file that he had failed to notice the boy was carrying. "All of these records pertain to my mother…" Riku pulled out a thick stack of papers and quickly pulled out several that were held together by a paperclip. "I don't know what half of this stuff is, but _these _are obviously legal documents of some kind."

Leon took the legal documents while Zack held a hand towards the other records with a questioning glance. Riku handed them over immediately as well.

"This is your mother's last will and testament," said Leon as he read over some of the pages. "It includes certified copies of your parents wedding license, as well as your birth certificate, both of which were apparently hidden from public record."

"Do they usually have that stuff included?" asked the teenager.

"No, but it isn't usual for those records to be hidden like this either," answered Leon with a frown line appearing between his brows. "It looks like, since your parents took such great measures to keep their marriage and your parentage a secret, they wanted to make sure that there was some clear proof of each so it couldn't be questioned in the event of her death."

"Was that because of Hojo?" asked Riku.

"That they kept it all a secret? Most likely," answered the steel-eyed man, still looking through the paperwork. "It sure looks like they planned ahead though. By hiding their marriage, they ensured that Hojo would have no reason to assume any child she had was Sephiroth's."

The silver-haired boy looked thoughtful for a moment before he quietly said, "So they did want me at one point…"

"You thought otherwise?" Leon asked in unease.

Riku shrugged, his voice remained completely flat as he spoke. "Wouldn't you with all the secrecy and lies? I never had any of it explained to me. My dad was gone and my mom was ill and in hiding. I figured I was an accident…or a mistake."

"Did you ever tell your mother that?" asked the scarred man.

"Of course not," answered Riku.

Leon glanced down for a moment and something on the page he had flipped to caught his eye. "You own property here," he stated.

"I what...?" The boy raised a single eyebrow.

"Your mother left you a house as well as her share of ownership of the research centre," Leon said with a slight smile as he read over the page. "And since we haven't found any heirs or wills for any of Ansem's apprentices or the other scientists, I think it's safe to assume you actually own the whole thing now…that means you could probably claim at least partial rights to the castle as well, since it's connected with the centre legally."

Teal eyes blinked as Riku simply stared at the man for a moment. "So…that means you can go ahead with your orphanage idea, now that you don't have to worry about someone trying to claim that the castle is theirs."

Leon looked up from the document, "Well _you _can claim it, so if you give the go ahead, then yes."

"Of course I will," said Riku, "What else am I going to do with a castle?"

Leon smiled again, "That's-"

The boy waved away whatever the sable-haired man was going to say, which he seemed to appreciate. "It's the least I can do; besides, it _is _perfect for the new orphanage...and I know you're dying to start working on that."

Leon nodded and returned to the papers with a small smile. The expression abruptly fell, as he seemed to concentrate on some new information he had found. He read the same line several times before turning his head to Zack, who was immersed in the other documents Riku had brought.

"Zack," Leon said. The other man did not respond.

Riku looked a little concerned, "Zack?"

The former SOLDIER looked up quickly, glanced from Riku to Leon, and then blinked. "What? Sorry, I was- never mind; did I miss something?"

Riku and Leon glanced at one another before turning their attention back to their violet-eyed friend. "Are you okay?" asked Riku.

"Yes," Zack answered.

The adolescent glanced at the papers in the raven-haired man's hands before meeting his eyes again. "What is it?"

Zack hesitated a moment before responding. "You said you didn't know what most of this is…do you at least know what it's regarding?"

"Experiments of some kind…and a lot of research," answered the boy. "As well as some awards, certificates, and acknowledgments…"

"Yeah," Zack nodded. For a moment, it looked as though he was considering saying something else to the boy, but then he turned to Leon. "So what did you find? I heard that its Hilargi's will and it includes copies of the licenses and certificates that she and Sephiroth had to hide."

"Well, I also found that Riku owns his mother's old house, the research centre, and possibly the castle, which he wants to turn into the new orphanage," stated the scarred man as he gave his friend a suspicious and concerned look. "However, that's not what I wanted your attention for. I found something that could alleviate one of my more recent concerns…and yours."

Both men flicked their eyes over Riku before Zack returned his gaze to Leon as the Gunblade wielder returned his attention to the document in his hands. "According to this, if Riku's mother -Hilargi, as you seem to know her- died after Sephiroth did or at the same time as him, then custody of Riku is supposed to pass on to you."

Zack nodded for Leon to continue, the scarred man glared at him; "You knew?"

"Of course I knew," stated the raven-haired man. "Who else were they going to entrust with Seph's child if something happened to him? I was young at the time, but they didn't expect anything to happen so soon, and I'm the only one who knew for a fact that Sephiroth was the father, besides who else was going to be able to protect Riku from Hojo if Sephiroth couldn't?"

"Why didn't you tell me you're Riku's legal guardian? Why didn't you mention any of this?" asked Leon.

Violet eyes narrowed slightly, "Leon, my best friend went insane, and not the insane where they see magical butterflies, but the kind where he burned down entire towns, murdered several of our other friends, and tried to take over and destroy the world-"

Zack took a glance at Riku and continued in a milder tone. "First I tried to save Seph, and then I almost died and we all thought that he had. After that, I was tied up for a couple years, then I couldn't find Riku or Hilargi, and then the Heartless took over and after fighting them for a while, I died. My first thought when I came back and saw the condition this place and you guys were left in wasn't to go look for a kid whose parentage I wasn't suppose to disclose…And even if I did, what good would it have done? Sephiroth is still alive. Riku's only mine if he isn't, and I'll do whatever's needed to protect that kid, but I would really rather not kill Sephiroth if I can help it."

Leon blinked and most of his anger seemed to ebb. "I'm sorry, but Zack, it _does _help us. If Sephiroth just tries to claim Riku physically, the way he probably would, we'll all fight him, Riku included I believe." The boy nodded, his gaze still fixed on Zack.

Leon sighed, "But if he regains enough of his old self to actually try anything legally, we have something to fight him with now. We can prove he's unfit and all the groundwork is already laid out for you to take custody of Riku. This is a huge relief."

Zack seemed to think this over for a moment, and then he nodded as well, his eyes now locked on Riku's; "It is. So…you own Hilargi's old place? Have you seen it?"

Riku shook his head, and then a small smile touched his lips. "Where is it?"

"Near the gardens," answered the former SOLDIER. "We'll take you there tomorrow…unless Leon's chomping at the bit to start the new orphanage, than we'll ditch him and I'll take you."

"Hey, I'm still here," stated Leon. "I think the orphanage can wait for a day while we show Riku his family's old house."

Zack arched an eyebrow and turned his attention back to Riku. "Now we _know _he loves you. He's actually going to hold off on reconstructing something for you…feel special."

Teal eyes met and violet and then turned to steel blue before dropping. "I do."

Leon smiled lightly, "We should go home. It's getting late."

Riku nodded and stood. Zack held up the records he had been reading; "Can I keep these for a few days?"

Riku nodded. "You know I'm going to find out what they say though, right?"

"I figured," replied the raven-haired man.

Leon slid an arm around the silver-haired boy's waist. "Why don't we start with your family's house and work from there? You don't need to know everything right away." He gave Zack a look that clearly said _find out what those say_ as the he led the boy out the door.

The former SOLDIER nodded once. "I'll meet you in the community gardens tomorrow morning."

"Okay, thanks Zack," Riku called back while Leon returned the nod.

Zack closed the door and then punched a hole in the wall beside it.


	143. Mandible

_Prompt: Mandible_

_Given by: Aeriels33_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Pre-KHII_

_Pairing: Implied Leon/Riku_

* * *

"What the matter?" Zell asked a soon as he entered the computer room.

"What makes you assume something is the matter?" questioned Leon tightly, jaws clenched as he slammed down the enter key with more force than was necessary.

"If you clench your jaws any tighter, you're going to break your own mandible, and you're usually a lot more careful with the machinery," answered the tattooed man flatly. "Does it have anything to do with why Zack keeps having to duck the debris that Strife is clearing like a madman?"

"I wouldn't presume to know what is going on in Cloud's thick head," replied Leon as his neck muscles contracted tightly as well.

"Okay, there's on mystery solved," commented Zell as he leaned against the wall next to the computer his friend was typing on, still with more force than was needed. "So, what did Spiky do?"

"He still isn't letting up on Riku," Leon said in an irritated tone. "He just can't look past the boy's connections to Sephiroth…and it's really beginning to affect Riku."

Zell shook his head, "And to think the kid comes here when everything is too much. I'd hate to be his shoes."

"So would I," Leon said, and then his eyes narrowed. "Cloud is only making it worse. Why can't he let this go? Riku has nothing to do with Sephiroth."

"Yeah, you would think- Hang on…" The blonde man looked at Leon inquisitively as he straightened. "You said 'the boy's _connection _to Sephiroth' a moment ago…not resemblance. I thought that was the issue. Is there something more to it?"

Leon squeezed his eyes shut for a moment before he looked at Zell with a slightly apologetic expression. "Yes, But I c-"

Zell cut his friend off with a wave, "Don't bother, I know you won't tell if you promised the kid you wouldn't…I think I can guess close enough anyway. Besides, all I really need to know if whether I should be keeping an eye on Riku, or keeping an eye out for him."

Leon stared at the tattooed man for a brief moment, and then some of the tension left his jaw. "Thanks Zell. We don't have to worry about Riku assuming Sephiroth's role, but I'm worried about what might happen if Sephiroth realises who Riku is. The kid is good but…Sephiroth is a challenge for anyone."

Zell nodded slowly, "That's the truth. At least Sephiroth usually sticks to this world. If he tries to take the kid here, you know we're all behind you." The blonde smirked, "And it's not like you leave Riku to his own devices often…"

Leon shook his head as most of the remaining tension in his muscles ebbed away. "You and Zack are going to be dodging debris from me soon too if you guys keep that up."

That only caused the tattooed man's smirk to grow as a small gleam appeared in his eyes. "If your usual ability to suppress any and all emotional responses didn't fail you whenever it comes to Riku, we wouldn't bother…" He shrugged lightly, "It wouldn't be any fun."

Leon rolled his eyes and returned to his work, hitting the keys with notably less ferocity. "Will you two ever grow up?"

Zell stepped away from the wall and offered his friend a _don't even _look. "Hey, neither of us are the one who fell hard for a kid, now are we?"

Leon actually smiled slightly at this comment. Zell raised his eyebrows, "You _have _fallen for him. Well we're definitely going to have to take care of that kid now. Leave it to me, I'll set Zack on Spiky; he'll have him straightened out in no time…and even _Sephiroth _can't take Riku, you, me, Zack, and Cloud."

Leon wore a rare true smile as Zell waved over his shoulder on his way out of the room.

At least Cloud would have a sore jaw the next day as well, after Zack was done with him.


	144. Transmundane

_Prompt: Transmundane_

_Given by: Aeriels33_

_Setting: The Underworld; Post KHII_

_Pairing: None_

* * *

Cloud led Zack and Riku through the Underworld caverns with a distant and angry expression on his face. They had been walking for long enough to have reached the end of the caverns and back already. Cloud had stopped speaking over an hour before, Riku after having been snapped at several times, had decided to remain silent before that, and Zack had given on trying to get a conversation started with either shortly after.

"Er, Cloud…?" Riku said tentatively as the blonde shot a glare in his direction. He stepped back to avoid a falling stalactite before continuing. "We've passed that rock formation three times already." The silver-haired boy pointed to a large formation the trio had just passed.

"Well I haven't been here on my own that many times and you try navigating in this damn fog," the former Soldier replied in a clipped voice.

"Now Spiky, play nice," Zack chimed in, the pointed look he gave his friend betrayed his teasing tone. "Admit you don't know where we are and then why _don't _we let Riku try to navigate? He's got that that otherworldly scent thing that lets him find any of us no matter where we are…"

"In case you haven't noticed," Cloud replied, "The others aren't anywhere near us, and this whole place reeks. He's not a bloodhound; he can't just sniff them out from across the Underworld."

"Are you kidding?" Zack glanced at the object of their discussion (who did not look amused) before returning his attention to Cloud. "The kid suddenly turns his head toward the castle while we were in the Marketplace the other day, and says 'Leon and Zell are in pain' before taking off. Naturally, I followed him, and sure enough, that was the day of the big cave in. He said he knew because 'their _scents _changed'. After that, I'm willing to put my money on the kid."

"Sora and Leon are that way with another man…he's a friend of Sora's I think, but he's also not alive…not really," Riku commented while indicating a passage on their left. Apparently Zack's obvious support was all the encouragement he needed. "They're okay."

"You see?" Zack said to Cloud before turning in the direction the boy had indicated. "I really wish I knew how you do that kid."

"You don't find it odd that no one else can?" asked Cloud.

"One of the members of Organization Thirteen could," Riku stated.

"Was he _your _Nobody?" asked the blonde man.

"No; I never became a Heartless," replied the teal-eyed boy levelly. "I think one of Diz- er, Ansem's apprentices was his other."

"It's probably just one of those rare gifts you're either born being capable of or not," stated Zack. "Right now kid, I don't care how you can do it; I'm just glad you can. I want to get out of this place as soon as possible."

Cloud's expression took on a concerned note, "Wait, you weren't _here _before…were you?"

"No, I just don't like it," answered Zack. "Actually, I don't think I was really _dead _all those years…I was just sort of…nothing."

Riku nodded as though this made perfect sense, and to him, it probably did. Cloud on the other hand looked confused by this response. "What do you mean 'nothing'? Were any of the others who disappeared there…like Tifa?"

"Nope," Zack answered, "Nothing…but I expect that both of you understand how easy it becomes to cope with being alone after you are for long enough."

Cloud blinked and then glanced at Riku, who simply nodded his understanding again. Mako-blue eyes remained on the boy a brief moment longer than was usual.

Zack continued to talk to the others, who only gave brief responses, as Riku led them through the winding caverns. Cloud's expression had softened slightly, and he kept giving the boy appraising glances.

Soon, they heard Sora talking excitedly up ahead, and then they could make out the spiky-haired boy through the mist, as well as Leon and a man in a red coat with a scar over one eye.

"Hey, what took you guys so long?" called Sora as they approached.

Riku shrugged; "We took the scenic route."

"Everything alright?" asked Leon.

Zack glanced at Cloud, who along with the man in the red coat, was watching the two teenagers with a slight smile on his face as Sora animatedly filled Riku in on everything that he had missed while they wandered through the caverns. Not once did Riku offer an explanation as to why they had really been missing for so long.

"I think we are," Zack said before he offered Leon a wink.

The scarred man raised an eyebrow, "Do I want to know what I'm missing here?"

"No," the raven-haired man replied. Then he turned to the others, "Alright, I still really want to get out of here…"


	145. Advent

_Prompt: Advent_

_Given by: BlueDragon1224_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None; Implied Past Sephiroth/OC_

_Author's note: Anyone remember __Astute__? This can be considered a prequel to it.

* * *

_

Riku was hastening to find a particular book he had spotted the last time he was in the library. He knew he should not feel the need to hurry but there were a few reasons for it.

One was that Cloud would be coming to see what he was up to soon, and the former SOLDIER was not likely to react well to what Riku was looking into. There was also a feeling Riku had, which was growing stronger. Something was coming. He did not know what, but it was somehow related to the darkness and his own past. Finally, the boy knew he was being watched. A dark presence had been following him for a few weeks now, as well as a second, which had joined the first recently and whose alliance was not nearly as clear.

All three presences were coming closer, and Riku had a feeling he did not want all three in the same room…especially with him.

Just as Riku found the desired text, he felt one of the presences enter the library and then caught an oddly familiar scent, although he could not place it. The teal-eyed boy simply recognised that he had known it or one similar to it, long ago, before he could remember.

Ignoring his suddenly pounding heart, Riku turned with deceiving calm and approached the stairs. He set the book he had been searching for on the table at the foot of the steps before ascending them.

Once arriving at the library's upper level, Riku noticed that the door to the castle's lifts had been recently operated. The silver-haired adolescent quietly entered the platform and found that the owner of the vaguely familiar scent had been there…and was still in the castle. He quietly followed the scent and the presence grew stronger as he made his way up the castle.

Riku paused when he realised he was nearing the castle chapel. The silver-haired teen took a steadying breath before entering it. He stopped walking shortly after entering, when he saw a man in a red and black coat standing with his back facing the boy.

"There is still much you have to do, little one," stated the man before he turned to face Riku. He was tall, with claret coloured hair and icy blue eyes and a single black wing. "And much you don't remember."

"Am I to take it that you know me…or think you do?" questioned Riku, keeping a safe distance from the strange man. The boy knew that this man was the presence whose alliance was uncertain, and he had a feeling the man was quite powerful.

"You are her child…and Sephiroth's…the resemblance has always been striking," replied the claret-haired man. "You are Riku. The Keyblade's chosen wielder; child of twilight; master of shadows…and so much more. More than even you know."

The silver-haired boy turned his head slightly. "_Her_…? You knew my mother…my _real _mother…? …And Sephiroth…_is _my father?" As much as Riku did not like the idea of believing this stranger, somewhere in his heart, he knew the words were true.

"You already sense the truth," the man said with an agreeable nod. "But there are still many questions to answer, little one, and time is running short."

"What do you mean?" asked Riku, taking a small step forward. "What is happening? Why have you been watching me? Who else has been?"

"There are more important questions and all of the answers are connected," stated the man before he turned his head slightly, as if listening to a distant sound.

That was when Riku realised that Cloud's scent was approaching, and the other presence was growing stronger…soon, both would arrive. "How do I find the answers? What will happen if I don't?"

"Come with me and I will set you on the path to the enlightenment you require," the claret-haired man said as he turned and opened a dark corridor. "...If you do not learn the truth soon, then you -and this world- will suffer a fate that has scarcely been escaped in the past."

Riku turned his head. Cloud was coming closer. He would understand…he had too…

"Time is running short, little one," the stranger's voice called to Riku. "We cannot wait …And the confrontation that is approaching can be avoided if you leave before Strife and your father arrive. Sephiroth will leave once you do."

Again, Riku could feel the truth in the man's words. Although the situation frightened him, he knew that he had to make a choice…and quickly.

With a final glance in the direction he knew Cloud was, the teal-eyed boy crouched down and removed the shadow anklet he still wore. Riku carefully closed the clasp, so that it would be clear it had been removed gently, and placed it on the ground.

The silver-haired adolescent just hoped that he was making the right decision this time. If he was not, then he hoped that he would be the only one to pay the price.

Riku approached the man slowly but steadily. The boy felt a hand on his shoulder just as everything went dark.

The feeling of something approaching had grown stronger just before he lost consciousness.


	146. Crisis

_Prompt: Crisis_

_Given by: BlueDragon1224_

_Setting: Destiny Islands; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Leon/Riku, Sora/Penelo_

* * *

"Why are we flying to Destiny Islands in the middle of the night again?" asked a rather sleepy sounding Cloud, once he had woken up enough to remember the answer. 

"Because Riku took off two days ago when Sora showed up in the middle of the night saying he was having a crisis and needed his best friend," answered Zack.

Cloud frowned, "And so we're leaving right now because…?"

"You know how Riku kept asking Cid questions about the radios in the Gummi ships because he wanted to devise a way to communicate with Sora while they were each on their home worlds?" asked Zack.

The blonde man blinked and stared at his friend a moment, "He didn't…"

"Not as well as he'd like, but yes, he did," comment Leon. "He left a radio on a usually dead channel in his room and managed to contact me from Destiny Islands about an hour ago."

Cloud whistled, "That's impressive."

"The connection was garbled, but I was able to discern some of it," Leon continued in a serious tone. "Riku and Sora are alright. He tried very hard to make that clear. However, he also said something about Sora's parent being involved in a boating accident, something about three days; that Sora needed him because he doesn't know how to handle the preparations for something, and that a bunch of Sora's relatives, family friends, and some of his parents' co-workers would be coming soon. After that, the connection broke up completely."

Zack shook his head, "I just hope they're all right. Those kids have been through enough already." Leon nodded his agreement.

"I hope so too, but it doesn't sound like everything's alright," said Cloud. "Didn't Riku handle all of the arrangements himself for his mother's memorial?"

Zack nodded, "Yeah…he did."

The three men remained quiet for the remainder of the trip. After they landed in a secluded part of one of the islands, they silently began walking towards the nearest town as the sun rose.

"Do you know which house is Sora's?" asked Cloud when they reached a residential area some time later.

"Not exactly," replied Leon evenly.

"I'm sure Riku will know when we're close," stated Zack, sounding quite confident.

Sure enough, the door to the third house up ahead on their left opened and rather sleepy and confused looking Sora poked his head out. Cerulean eyes widened when he spotted the three men before he turned around and yelled, "You were right, Riku…they're walking up the street now!"

Leon shook his head slowly, "How does he do that?"

"I'd like to know that too," said Sora as they approached the door.

"How are you?" asked Leon.

"Is everything okay here?" Cloud asked at the same time.

"Er…yeah, I'm not _that _incompetent…besides, Riku has everything pretty much under control now," replied Sora, still looking confused.

Just then, the silver-haired teen appeared behind the spiky-haired teenager. "Aren't you going to invite them in, Sora?"

"Oh! Yeah…er, sorry," Sora stepped aside to allow entrance into the moderate sized house; "Come on in."

The three men entered the house quietly. Leon made beeline for Riku, gathering the teen in his arms and placing a kiss on his head. "What happened?"

"I take it most of my transmission broke up before the storm killed the connection entirely," the teal-eyed boy said in a questioning tone.

"Oh, that's what's going on," said Sora. "Can we explain in the kitchen?" he asked the three eldest in the room.

After trading some confused glances with the other two men, Zack decided to answer, "Sure, lead the way."

Sora led them into the kitchen. After releasing the steel-eyed man's hand, Riku kissed Leon briefly before turning to the counter. That was when all three men noticed that nearly every surface of the kitchen was covered in food at various stages of preparation.

Riku began slicing some sort of root vegetables open lengthwise, brushing them with melted butter, sprinkling salt on them, and then wrapping them in foil before placing them on a baking sheet.

Sora looked at his friend and scrunched up his nose. "Eew…what are those…roots? They look like a mutated cross between a potato and a carrot…"

"They're sweet potatoes and you've eaten them before," answered Riku before glancing at the men sitting at the table. "What parts did you manage to hear last night?"

"Not much," answered Leon as he watched the silver-haired teen continue with his task, "Just enough to know that you were alright but to worry about the two of you anyway."

"Panic is more like it," stated Zack. "He showed up at our place and just said we were coming here and to meet him in the Gummi garage in ten minutes."

Riku glanced at Leon with a small smile, "You really did panic."

The scarred man shrugged, "I was worried about you."

"I didn't even know why we were coming here until a couple hours ago," admitted Cloud. "Now what was Leon saying about a boating accident, preparations, and relatives coming over?"

"And what was the crisis that you dragged Riku here for?" added Zack.

"My parents were in a small boating accident," said Sora. "They're fine, but they got stuck on one of the other islands for a while longer than expected. We have a ton of people coming here tomorrow for Thanksgiving, and I don't know how to prepare anything…so I got Riku to help me."

All three men stared at the spiky-haired boy for a moment. Finally, Zack laughed, Cloud grinned, and even Leon smiled slightly.

"All of this because you can't cook a dinner?" asked Leon.

"You know how Cloud is in the kitchen, right?" asked Riku. Zack and Leon nodded; Cloud shot the adolescent a light glare. "…And you now how Yuffie is in one…" This time the teal-eyed boy was answered with three nods. "Okay, now combine the two, and you basically have Sora in the kitchen by himself."

Leon's eyebrows rose slightly, Cloud frowned, and Zack hissed, "Yikes."

"How did you two become friends?" asked Cloud looking from Riku, who had finished his previous task and was now making stuffing, to Sora, who was trying to pick pieces of eggshell out of some batter he was supposed to be mixing…It appeared that all of the ingredients had been pre-measured and laid out for him.

"Riku didn't have any friends and his mom worried about him so our moms arranged a play date; we've been together ever since," Sora said easily before turning to Leon. "Besides, it isn't just _a _dinner; its _Thanksgiving _dinner…and all of my relatives will be here for it, plus most of our friends, and some of my parents' co-workers."

Leon stood and approached Riku, "Is this like our Labour Thanksgiving Day?" When the boy nodded, the scarred man washed his hands and began peeling a pile of carrots near the teenager that were obviously prepared for this purpose.

"What's that?" asked Sora as Zack approached him, looked over the simple directions Riku had clearly written out, and silently took over on combining the ingredients.

"People celebrate having food and working hard for it by taking a day off and eating as much as they can," replied Cloud as he stood, earning him dual glares from Leon and Zack. "Anything menial I can do?"

"Why don't you and Sora start shucking that corn?" asked Leon, indicating a pile of corn on the opposite counter.

The two spiky-haired males glanced at one another, shrugged, and then set to the suggested task.

"And their Labour Thanksgiving Day is just like our Thanksgiving Day, Sora," stated Riku as he continued cooking. "...Only with slightly different traditional dishes, I think."

"When is it?" asked the blue-eyed boy.

"In a couple weeks," answered Leon.

Sora smiled brightly. "Cool! We can have two Thanksgivings!"

Steel blue eyes glanced at the enthusiastic teenager, "Fine, but it's my year to cook and you, Cloud, Yuffie, and Cid aren't allowed in my kitchen."

"Why Cid?" asked Sora, clearly unperturbed by his own banishment.

"Because I don't like people smoking in there while I'm cooking," stated the Gunblade wielder.

"I'll help if you want," stated Riku. "That is, if I'm authorised to enter your kitchen."

Leon smiled lightly, "You're authorised anywhere I am." The boy smiled in return.

"Don't you just love the way stone-cold melts around this kid?" Zack asked the room in general. Cloud nodded, and the violet-eyed man continued with a grin, "Between that, the kid's age, and the kinky Halloween sex, we finally have things to torment him about."

Riku flushed slightly and tilted his head down further as he mixed the stuffing, his hair hiding his face entirely now. Leon glared at the raven-haired man. "What was that last part?"

Zack smirked, "Well, Yuffie discovered a broken window-"

"No! Don't get into details until I'm not around," Sora interrupted quickly. "I really don't want to hear about anything he does to Riku in the bedroom…eew. Er…no offence Riku."

"None taken," answered the silver-haired teen softly. "I don't want to hear those kinds of details about you and Penelo either."

"Deal," said the spiky-haired teen.

"Good, now try to get her, Kairi, and Selphie to stop discussing you in front of me," stated Riku with a shudder. "Just because I'm a gay bishie uke doesn't mean I want to be included in all of their girl talk…"

"Sorry, but I don't think there's any help for that," stated Sora with a disturbed and sympathetic expression.

"Yeah, that just comes with the gay bishie uke territory," said Zack with a chuckle. "I still can't believe you have no issues whatsoever about owning up to all of that."

The silvered one shrugged. "I think those are the least of my problems…"

Just then, an ear of corn flew past the teal-eyed boy's face and dented the wall on the other side of the room.

"I think I have to agree with that," replied Zack.

"No wonder he considers this a crisis," stated Leon.

The three men stayed for Thanksgiving and returned home with Riku the following day. All agreed that they would not tell anyone about some of the incidents during the day's preparations.


	147. Dirge

_Prompt: Dirge_

_Given by: BlueDragon1224_

_Setting: Radiant Garden, Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Leon/Riku, Zack/Aerith, Sora/Penelo; Mentions Tifa/Rude & Cid/Shera_

* * *

"…Oh, and I finally got to check out the memorial in the square," Sora finished stating to Riku just as Zack, Zell, and Leon approached them.

"Kairi said that you were one of the few people they singled out to mention at the memorial service, since you're the only kid who died," the spiky-haired boy continued, oblivious to the started and confused looks the three men giving him.

"Riku died?" asked Zack, "Why is this the first time I'm hearing about it? Wh-"

"No, he didn't die," Sora said as he turned around to face the elder warriors. "Well…I guess he sort of died when Ansem, I mean Xehanort's Heartless, possessed him, but I'm not really sure… Anyway, after Destiny Islands were restored, but no one could remember me or what happened, they assumed that all the people who were missing died during the strange storm they all recalled."

"Actually most of them did die when the Heartless arrived before the world vanished," Riku added remorsefully.

"So they assumed you died as well because they could remember you, but you weren't there?" question Zell.

Riku nodded, and Sora said, "Yep. So, his name is on the town's memorial too. It's really weird seeing my best friend's name there…"

"I believe you," said Leon, looking slightly disturbed.

"It's no stranger than waking up one day to find out everyone assumed you were dead," stated Zack before turning his attention to Riku. "Have you seen this memorial he's talking about?"

The silver-haired boy nodded again. "Yes; I went for some of the other people on there…it actually seemed kind of fitting to see my name on it." The teen shrugged.

"Aren't they going to take it off?" asked Zell, now looking as disturbed as Leon.

Both teens shook their heads. "Kairi wanted to suggest it to her dad, but Riku said not to bother," Sora explained with a glance at his best friend.

Suddenly finding all eyes on him, the teal-eyed adolescent lowered his head slightly and shrugged again, "Like I said, I think it's fitting…"

Leon brushed some of the boy's silver bangs away from his face, and wore a pensive expression as he watched the teal-eyed boy for a moment.

"Are you okay?" asked Riku.

"Yeah," Leon's face returned to a more impassive expression as his eyes focused on those around him. "I was just thinking that we should do some sort of memorial here for everyone who died when the Heartless overran this world."

"That would have to be pretty big to fit all those names," said Zell. "This world didn't disappear, so there are a lot more casualties."

"We don't have to name everyone individually," suggested Zack, "We've already heard of a few mistakes in that regard; it might actually be better to just put some nice reminder for everyone who didn't make it."

"That's a good idea," said Sora with a nod. "I wouldn't want my name on one if I wasn't dead…"The boy shuddered slightly at the thought.

"It will also be very difficult to discern who has actually died and who simply remained wherever they settled when they fled from here," added Riku after he patted the spiky-haired boy's shoulder.

Leon nodded, "Alright, so we'll design something simple, get Cid and his crew to start construction and have someone come up with some sort of commemorative statement for it."

"I'll see if Aerith will plant some flowers for it too," stated Zack, "And if the priests and priestesses want to sing a dirge for the ceremony."

"Where are we going to put this?" asked Zell.

"Er…The park…?" suggested Sora, tapping his chin with a forefinger.

"What about that empty square in the centre of the market place near the fountain?" commented Riku.

"That's perfect," said Leon. "This year's anniversary will be the tenth; we should do the ceremony then."

"What about the design," said Zell thoughtfully, "…Any ideas?"

"Well, Leon said 'simple'," Zack reminded the tattooed man, "What about a spire or something?"

"How about a Keyblade?" said Sora with more enthusiasm than the raven-haired man had used.

"Yeah, with three wise guys fighting Heartless around the base," added Riku drily, giving his friend a look that said, _are you serious?_ "No one's supposed to know about all of that, remember?"

"Oh…right; I forgot about that," said Sora, slightly deflated.

Riku nudged his best friend with his elbow, "At least all of your friends know what you did."

This perked the cerulean-eyed boy up instantly, "Yeah… So what are you going to make the memorial look like?" he posed the question to Leon.

"The castle ruins," Leon stated. "Then when people look up and see the castle as we rebuild it, they'll be reminded of how life moves on."

"Wow, stone-cold," stated Zack, looking torn between being impressed and amused, Zell seemed to be having the same internal struggle beside him. "That's pretty deep… I think these kids are starting to make an impression…aside from the obvious one."

Leon shot his friends a glare, but the amorous expression Riku was regarding him with since he made his previous statement, as well the bright smile Sora was directing at him, killed most of its intensity.

"I have to take off soon, so I'm going to go pick up some souvenirs for Kairi and my mom…and I wanted to get something special for Penelo," commented Sora.

"Souvenirs…?" repeated Zack; "It's not like there's a 'thanks for visiting Radiant Garden' gift shop."

"Well, I'll find something we don't have back home," said the spiky-haired teen.

"And how will they explain that they have something not found on your world?" asked Zell.

"It's not like everyone on our island knows what all the other islands have," commented Sora, "Plus, they know to be discreet."

"Unlike you," Zack muttered quietly, causing the others to grin slightly.

"Hey," Sora suddenly turned to Leon, "Maybe Riku can help you write a poem for the memorial or something."

"You write poetry?" The Gunblade wielder asked the silver-haired boy.

"Sora…" Riku said with a small groan. "Just haikus," he answered in a murmur.

"Haven't you ever seen his journal?" Sora asked Leon.

"Seen it, yes; read it, no," answered the sable-haired man. "That would be invasive."

"Well, it's just a bunch of sketches and haiku poems anyway," said Sora as he waved off the older man's comment. "There's a nice sketch of you from the day you gave Riku his first kiss and-"

"That's it," Riku said and the spiky-haired teen immediately bolted, with his silver-haired friend right behind him; leaving all three men standing with amused expressions.

"Well, I have to go meet Aerith for lunch," said Zack, still wearing a comfortable smile. "I'll let her know about the memorial; I'm sure she'll love the idea."

The other men nodded and with a wave, the violet-eyed man left the group.

"Man, I really need a girlfriend," said Zell with a shake of his head. "Cid finally married Shera, you and Zack both have girlfriends, Tifa's seeing Rude…"

"Don't refer to Riku as my girlfriend in front of him," interrupted Leon with a slight smirk. "Trust me, you don't want to."

"I'll take your word for it," the blonde man responded. "You know…we really have moved on."

"Which is why now's a good time to show we still haven't forgotten," stated the scarred man as we continued to watch the two teenagers chase each other around the park with a pleasant expression.


	148. Music

_Prompt: Music_

_Given by: Sora788_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: (Strong) Leon/Riku_

* * *

Leon supported his head on one arm, draped the other around the willowy body lying beside him, and glanced down at Riku as the boy snuggled against him in his sleep.

The steel-eyed man gently brushed the teen's hair away from his face before curling his arm around the boy once again and lightly rubbing his back. Leon thought that, with those amazingly expressive eyes closed, his slender shoulders temporarily not slumping with the weight of the burdens he carried, and his soft features free of the tension, grief, and shame he tried so hard to hide, Riku looked like an angel when he slept. He wished he could help the boy look more like that during the day as well.

The Gunblade wielder took some pleasure in the fact that he was clearly responsible for the boy looking the way he did now at least, peacefully resting while bathed in the moonlight. Leon hoped that, perhaps in time, the same would be true in the daylight…he could at least try, and he intended to.

Riku had suffered from terrible nightmares when he arrived on Radiant Garden shortly after his return home. Leon became aware of this before he ever became romantically involved with the boy, and hated not being able to do anything about it even then. After they became a couple, the scarred man would wake Riku up if he heard him suffering and remain with the adolescent until he feel asleep again. When Riku was comfortable enough for them to begin sleeping together, in the chaste sense of the term, the nightmares greatly lessened in intensity. Once they began sleeping together in the sexual sense of the term, the nightmares subsided almost entirely.

At first, Leon had wondered if this was due to exhaustion after the act itself, but later he began to suspect that it actually was due to the skin on skin contact between them. It was as if Riku took a strange comfort in _feeling _Leon. The sable-haired man wanted to try merely going to sleep naked together to test this theory, but it had yet to happen.

For now, Leon was simply contented with seeing Riku's face transform throughout the night. The steel-eyed man watched the fine features change from happy, if slightly nervous, as Riku was lead into the bedroom in the evenings; to drawn in ecstasy as they made love; to serene as he slept undisturbed; and finally to content when he woke up in Leon's arms in the dawn. Later in the morning, the boy's sorrows, shame, and fears would catch up with him, and his face would take on an expression as close to impassive as the boy could master, while he hid his eyes lest they give him away. Riku had still taken to offering Leon small smiles during the day for no apparent reason other then that he was happy with the man.

Leon smiled as Riku sighed softly and then snaked one of his own slim arms around the scarred man's waist as he nuzzled Leon's chest in his sleep. ...And in that moment, Leon did not understand why Riku could not see how pure he still was, for the gentle sound of the boy's heartbeat combined with the soft sounds of his breathing and the quiet sighs he released every now and again had to be the purest music he had ever heard.

After placing a gentle kiss on the adolescent's silvered head, Leon slowly lowered himself onto the pillow and rested his chin against the boy's gossamer hair. He fell asleep hoping to hear that music every night for the rest of his life.


	149. Roommates

_Prompt: Roommates_

_Given by: viking106_

_Setting: Traverse Town; Pre-KHII_

_Pairing (Strong) Zack/Riku_

_Author's note: I normally only accept prompt words (meaning not pairings or settings) for this series, but this requested pairing sounded interesting and a couple of my friends thought so as well, so I decided to try it. Do let me know what you think, but don't expect to see this pairing used even remotely often. I cannot even guarantee that I'll use it again. _

_Thanks to Jediempress for putting up with my griping about this one._

* * *

When Zack was first returned to his physical form, he was not quite sure what to do with himself. He was somehow in Traverse Town, which he had not been on when he was swallowed by the nothing. From what he gathered, he had just missed Leon, Aerith, Yuffie, and Cid. He remained there, hoping that his friends would return and helping around the town as much as he could. The Heartless were still a notable issue on this world…especially in the third district. 

That was where he met Riku. At first, he had wondered whether the child was a villain or not. The boy blended with the shadows and remained blindfolded at all times. However, he also aided Zack when he was surrounded by Heartless, and continued to fight them afterwards. The boy fought well too. Between his skill, pale and delicate features, and long silver hair, Zack was instantly reminded of another old friend. When the teenager tried to leave after the battle was won, Zack stopped him.

Now, several months later, Zack knew that Riku was a friend and ally. The boy fought tirelessly to try to help his missing best friend and to make up for past misdeeds, which Zack suspected were less due to the child's will than someone else's… The former SOLDIER hated the thought of the innocent being used like that. The boy had also lost his form briefly, but in a way much more terrible than Zack had. The man thought that he would not have been able to cope with what this kid had to live with.

"You know, I've noticed something," said Zack after Riku had yet again appeared out of nowhere to assist the former SOLDIER when he was taking on more Heartless than any one person should on his own. "You always look a lot better when you leave here then when you arrive."

The boy merely turned his head slightly in Zack's direction. While the features that were not blocked by his blindfold or hair were schooled into an unrevealing expression, nothing the boy might do could distract from the fact that he had grown paler and more drawn than his last visit. The violet-eyed man felt his chest tighten when the boy turned his face away.

"I'm not very comfortable where I'm staying," replied Riku flatly. Zack had suspected as much for a while, but refrained from stating this. He was glad the kid was comfortable opening up around him.

"More uncomfortable then you are here?" asked the violet-eyed man. "Man, I'd hate to be in your shoes, kid." Zack thought for a moment and then glanced at the silver-haired boy again. "Do you have to stay there all the time? Can't you just check in as needed and handle your training here? There's plenty of target practice and I have a few tricks I can show you."

"I don't want to cause you -or this world- any trouble," the boy stated softly. "I've done enough already…"

"That's it; you're staying with me," Zack said firmly but kindly. "You aren't going to cause any trouble, if anything you're a huge help here, and someone has to work on this self-depreciative state you're always in…I think I'm the perfect man for the job."

Riku hesitated to answer, and Zack knew he almost had the kid worn down. "Come on, we can be roommates. I'm staying all by myself in this little house in the third district that my friends used to stay at, and it's depressing. And I don't know about you, but I think I've spent enough time by myself for one lifetime…or two…" he added the last part with a smirk that he suspected the boy could sense, as he returned it weakly.

"Alright," Riku finally conceded, sounding nervous but also relieved. "You're definitely a trade-up from DiZ…"

"Aw, I knew you'd warm up to me," Zack said teasingly as he draped an arm over the boy's narrower shoulders, noting but not questioning how relieved the boy seemed then, before leading him home. Zack was actually just as pleased for himself to have the teen there with him.

From that point on, Zack and Riku confided in one another and fought side by side often. It was good to have a friend again. The raven-haired man helped the silver-haired boy train to become more powerful in a battle, not that the kid needed much work, but the boy had a determination that was only matched by his raw beauty. With that thought, Zack began to wonder about the draw he felt toward the teenager. He realised they had somehow crossed another line.

Therefore, when Zack found Riku in their house one day, hugging himself tightly as one would when cold or scared and appearing to gaze out the window sadly even while blindfolded, the former SOLDIER knew he was making a bigger decision than the boy realised as he approached the silver-haired teen. Violet eyes trailed over the adolescent's smooth, pale jaw line and cheek, before settling on the black cloth over the boy's eyes…which he noticed was slightly damp.

"Riku, what is it?" asked the raven-haired man kindly.

The boy shook his head slightly before answering steadily, "It's nothing…"

"Come on," Zack said in a slightly teasing tone, "Give me some credit. I haven't been knocked in the head that many times."

The boy seemed to tighten his hold on himself as his face tilted down, as though he were looking at the floor. "Do you ever feel like you still aren't really here? Like you're fading…?"

The violet-eyed man sighed and glanced out the window before retuning his gaze to the boy in front of him. "Yeah…I do. I think it comes from what happened to us…losing our physical beings." He cracked a slight grin, even though the teen could not see it; he hoped he could hear it or sense it somehow. "We were bound to be a couple of head cases after that though."

The boy made a sound that might have been amusement, or simply acknowledgment. "Do you think we'll always feel like this? I don't know about you, but I'm getting tired of doubting my existence."

Zack frowned at the boy's tone. He had long since realised that Riku had outgrown his years mentally during his trials, but he had still not expected such dejectedness in someone that young. He lifted a hand an placed it on the boy's back, feeling a peculiar warmth at the contact and noticing how Riku's taut muscles seemed to relax marginally as well. He settled his other hand on the boy's farthest shoulder and turned him to face him.

The former SOLDIER then grasped the jaw line he had studied earlier, and felt a surge of warmth and emotion spread into him at the first direct contact he had made with any human being in around eight years. The startled gasp that passed the pale lips before him confirmed that Riku felt the same thing.

Without hesitation, Zack raised Riku's face, "We're real," he stated firmly before kissing the boy just as confidently.

It only took a few seconds for the teenager to respond with a longing and desperation that Zack understood perfectly as his hands slid all over the boy's body while he felt slender hands move into his own hair. The feeling he had received while touching the boy's face a moment prior felt like nothing compared to power and heat of the contact they were making now.

Breaking contact as little as possible, clothes were shed steadily as Zack guided Riku to the bed. For every article of clothing lost, their bodies pressed together more completely, until only a simple blindfold remained as their bodies joined entirely.

Despite the intensity of the moment, Zack had the presence of mind to realise that Riku was a virgin, and managed to keep his movements gentle, even through the passionate desire and feeling that were threatening to overcome his body and heart.

They laid in a tangle of limbs for a long while after. Still relishing in the contact and not speaking, but simply _being _and being together. After their breaths and heartbeats had slowed, and the sweat had cooled off their bodies, Zack placed a much gentler kiss on the boy's lips.

He brushed some of the boy's hair aside and beamed when he saw the first true smile on Riku's face. Zack shifted, but kept one arm wrapped around the boy as he guided a pale hand over his chest with his other before resting his own larger hand on the boy's, "Feel that?"

"Our heartbeats?" asked Riku with a smirk.

"These aren't the hearts that's kept us as _us _while or bodies were missing," stated Zack with an easy smile of his own. He closed the few inches between them and kissed the boy soundly once more, yet again feeling that intense heat and emotion course through him. Riku shuddered as Zack pulled away. "What you just felt; that was they mean by heart. And for ours to feel something this strong, they have to be real."

Riku's smile softened, "Thank you, Zack."

"Oh I have much more to teach you now," stated the former SOLDIER, who was getting slightly drowsy. "I learned from the best of them, and there's no way I'm letting you leave until I think you're more then prepared for whatever's out there after this."

"It's not what's out there that scares me," commented Riku softly.

Zack pulled the boy as close as possible. "I don't think you have anything to be afraid of. Just follow that heart of yours and it'll lead you through anything…remember that, okay?"

"Okay," Riku answered as he fitted himself against Zack's body.

They remained each other's anchors for several more months, and Zack just hoped that kid would remember what he told him that first night together when things turned ugly after the boy left to awaken his friend.


	150. Wine

_Prompt: Wine_

_Given by: Sarieu_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Leon/Riku, Zack/Aerith, Tifa/Rude, Cid/Shera_

* * *

Cid and Zack entered Leon's kitchen as Zack abruptly changed his sentence.

"There's no reason to- Hey, Leon's going to kick your ass if he catches you smoking in here," the violet-eyed man stated with a smile.

"What's the difference between me smoking in here and me smoking in the dining room?" asked Cid irritably.

"That's a good question," said Zack. "I never really thought about that."

"He still doesn't want you to and he's sort of irritable right now," said Riku, who was taking some dumplings out of a steamer. "He'll be fine once everyone's settled down for dinner, but I'd put it out."

"Put what out?" Leon asked as he entered the room. His steel blue eyes narrowed at the Gummi mechanic, who had already followed the boy's advice; "Out of my kitchen."

With a roll of his eyes, Cid took a step back so that he was technically out of the room. "There, now quit your bitching."

"Leon, ask Cid what he's been doing the past ten minutes," said Zack with a smirk as he crossed his arms over his chest.

The scarred man cocked an eyebrow at Cid, "Do I want to know?"

"Hey, Shera, Tifa, Rude, and Aerith all thought it was a damn good idea," stated the blonde man.

"What was a good idea?" questioned Leon impatiently.

"He set up a kiddie table," answered Zack with a grin, "For Marlene, Sora, Riku, and Yuffie."

"There's no way I'm sitting at it," called Yuffie from the other room. "I'm a grown up!"

"Why would we put them at a separate table?" asked Leon impassively.

"So we can make sure the minors don't get the real wine by mistake," stated Cid simply.

"I'm not a minor!" Yuffie shouted from the other room. The sounds of their other friends chuckling could be heard afterwards.

"Aerith and I brought non-alcoholic wine for the kids, and Tifa and Rude brought the good stuff for the rest of us," explained Zack.

"That's nice," said Leon flatly before turning to Cid again. "Riku will be sitting with me."

"I love you Leon, but I am _not _leaving Sora at the kiddie table with an eight-year-old and Yuffie…unless that's _his _choice," commented Riku from the stove.

"Then Sora can sit wherever he wants, Yuffie's an adult so we shouldn't be including her in this discussion anyway, and we'll let Barret call the shots with Marlene," stated Leon. "Does that work for everybody?"

"Yeah, thanks," Riku said before planting a kiss on the scared man's cheek as he left the room.

"Thanks Leon!" Sora and Yuffie chimed from the other room, having either eavesdropped or been informed of the change in plans by Riku. Leon suspected the former.

Cid crossed his arms; "You know Shera and Tifa reckon we ought to be more careful with these kids."

"Aerith agrees," Zack said, "And in all honesty, so do I, but I don't see any of them trying to drink, plus we'll all be at the table with them, Cid. It'll be fine."

"Those kids have been through just as much, and in some cases more, then we have," commented Leon. "I think we can trust their judgment…And do either of you believe for a second that I wouldn't be careful with Riku? I want him to keep whatever he has left of his innocence just as much as the rest of you."

"Except on Halloween," stated Zack, earning him a glare from the Gunblade wielder and a confused look from Cid.

"I though he went trick-or-treating after he helped Yuffie set up her candy station," questioned Cid.

Zack looked down at the gruff man, "He did, but afterwards apparently-"

"If you finish that sentence, I will castrate you," stated Leon evenly. "First of all, I don't know what Yuffie actually saw but it isn't anyone else's business and Riku's only sixteen…he's bound to get embarrassed about you guys discussing it."

"Fine, then I won't say anything in front of him," conceded Zack. "You know I love that kid. You, on the other hand, are open game when he's out of earshot."

"Deal," stated Leon. "Now are we done with this kiddie table crap?"

"I already set the damn thing up," said Cid. "Why don't leave the dynamic duo on it so the rest of us don't have to listen to their babbling?"

Leon's brows drew in confusion, "Riku doesn't babble."

"I know that," stated the Gummi mechanic in annoyance. "I meant _Yuffie _and Sora…those two haven't shut up since Sora got here."

"You know," said Zack thoughtfully. "That isn't a bad idea…"

Leon smirked slightly. "As long as you can talk Sora into agreeing so Riku stays put at the grown-up table, then that's fine by me."

The two other men glanced at one another. "I think we can do it," commented Zack with a grin.

"Damn right," said Cid. "We'll give Marlene ten Munny to say she was looking forward to sitting at the kiddie table with them and hearing about their adventures. She actually thinks they're funny…"

The former SOLDIER nodded, "And we can tell her how Riku gets sad when people talk about all that around him so she'll let him off the hook. Good plan, I'm going to go find her."

"I'm gonna fill Barret in," said Cid as he turned and lit another cigarette.

Leon returned to the stove and smiled. This might just be his best Thanksgiving yet.


	151. Stain

_Prompt: Stain_

_Given by: Sarieu_

_Setting: Gummi Ship; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Referenced Sora/Penelo & Leon/Riku_

* * *

"You didn't have to hide in the shadows the whole time, you know," said Sora as he buckled himself into the pilot's seat. "I'm sure Aladdin and Jasmine would have let me explain." 

"_Yeah_," said Riku sceptically. "It doesn't matter though. They've been warned and she's definitely one of the maidens Maleficent will go for."

"How can you smell how much darkness and light someone has in their heart from that far away?" asked Sora, seeming to try to work something out in his mind.

The teal-eyed boy shrugged uncomfortably, "Unfortunately, I'm quite familiar with the stench of darkness."

"I don't know if that's it," Sora said thoughtfully. "You can smell any of your friends from pretty far away, even though they mainly have light in them…" As his friend's expression remained downtrodden, Sora decided to change the subject. "So what did you think of Aladdin? Any better than the others...?"

"Yes; I think more of these princesses need to follow Jasmine's lead," stated Riku as he set the coordinates for their next destination into the Gummi's navigation system. "Most of these princes really don't seem to live up to the fairytales."

"I know," agreed Sora. "With the exceptions of Beast and Prince Phillip, most of these guys aren't very impressive. A handful of shadow Heartless and I bet you they're done." The spiky-haired boy smiled to himself, "Penelo always says I'm better then any prince charming…I thought it was a jab before, but now I think she might actually mean that."

Riku nodded, "She probably does…I know I'd take Leon over any of these jokers; No question."

"So…you're happy with him then?" asked Sora in a badly faked casual tone as he tried to fight the grin pulling at his features.

"Yes, and let's not make this a sappy moment. Which princess are we warning next?" asked the silver-haired boy as he looked over the map he had integrated into the ship's central computer.

"Ariel; she and Prince Eric live on Atlantica, they're on the land though, so we don't have to the actual city of Atlantica if you don't want to." Sora also looked over the map. His friend had marked which worlds they had already travelled to while on this mission, as well as the ones they each thought might contain a Princess of Heart. "He's a lot better than most of these other princes…at least, once he catches on he is. But I'm telling you, she wasn't one of the Princesses of Heart. No offence, but shouldn't you know who they are?"

"Yes," Riku said tightly, "That's why I want to see her. If she is or isn't, I'll know."

"But Maleficent knows who the seven are," stated Sora, "Why would she look for a substitute?"

"Because there's been a passing of the crown," replied Riku sadly.

Cerulean eyes widened, "What? You mean one of them-"

"No," Riku interrupted evenly. "They're all alive, but one of their hearts has been stained by the darkness."

Sora looked confused and slightly troubled, "What do you mean? They turned bad…? Who is it?"

The teal-eyed boy gazed out the window as he replied, "They aren't bad, Sora. Every heart has some darkness in it...with _very _few exceptions; you know that. That alone doesn't make someone evil."

"Er…hello…? You still haven't said who she is," comment Sora when his friend remained silent for a moment.

"I was trying to think of how to put this," Riku answered softly. "Sora, it's Kairi."

"What? How did- When- I'm confused," Sora shook his head. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," replied Riku. "I can only tell you that it was there when we returned to the islands. My guess is that it came with Naminé, since she contained some darkness."

"But Naminé was a Nobody…" Sora looked even more lost now. "How could she have darkness if she didn't have a heart?"

The silver-haired boy shrugged. "How did any of the Organization's members open dark portals without it? Why did most of them reek of it? How did Axel care about Roxas? How was Demyx moved by music? How was Saïx so passionate about finding Kingdom Hearts? They obviously felt some things."

"That's true…But, she was _Kairi's_ Nobody," Sora protested. "How would she have darkness if Kairi didn't?"

"Did you read DiZ's report?" questioned Riku; at Sora's blank expression, he released a weary sigh and then began his explanation. "Not everyone who loses their heart has a Nobody. Kairi didn't create one when she first lost hers. Naminé was created when Kairi's heart left _your _body…the same time Roxas was. I think that's why they were always connected; they were literally a part of each other."

"What does that have to do with…oh," Sora looked pensive for a moment. "So…Naminé got part of my darkness, just like Roxas did, and then she gave it to Kairi when they became whole again…?"

"It's the only explanation I can come up with…" Teal eyes glanced at the spiky-haired boy. "Sora…are you okay?"

"Does this mean…" Sora met Riku's gaze. "Is it my fault Kairi has darkness in her heart now? Did _I_ stain her?"

"No," Riku answered firmly and immediately. "_I_ opened that door. Kairi never would have lost her heart to begin with if I hadn't."

"Radiant Garden had been overrun by Heartless years before that, Riku," stated Sora. "It might have happened either way…and you never would have opened that door if An-Xehanort's Heartless hadn't tricked you into it."

Riku wore a sad smile, "Leon said the same thing when I mentioned the door to him…"

"And you trust him, right?" said Sora, knowing the answer already, "And me, so if we both agree on this, then believe us. It all comes back to Xehanort…and Maleficent. If we're going to blame someone, then let's blame them."

The silvered teen sighed, "Whatever you say. I'm not arguing with both of you…"

"But you don't believe us yet," said Sora. "You will though. Leon is even more stubborn than you are. He'll get through to you."

"He certainly is resilient," commented Riku with a small grin.

"So are you," remarked Sora. "That's why I know you'll be okay; you're harder to crush than a cockroach. _And _now you have Leon set on taking care of you…I don't think there's anything that can beat you."

"Why weren't you as sure about me when you were travelling all over the worlds and asking about me while you were supposed to be home or fighting Organization XIII?" replied Riku.

"You know, it really isn't fair that you knew what I was doing all the time," stated the blue-eyed teen. "You didn't have to keep checking up on me…"

"Hey you're the one who decided to sleep on the job before that," Riku stated teasingly as he returned his attention to the console before him. "And you're the one who couldn't piece together all the clues the Organization was giving you. Can you blame me for thinking you might need a hand?"

"Okay, so I'm not as clever as you are, and I need more help then you do," stated Sora. "At least I can fly a Gummi ship and ride a skateboard."

Riku rolled his eyes, "Gee, why didn't I stop to learn such valuable skills instead of learning computers and how to blend into the shadows…"

Cerulean eyes narrowed, and then softened as Sora tilted his head thoughtfully. "I should teach you to skateboard when we're done warning all the princesses…" Sora trailed off but then returned his attention to Riku when the silver-haired boy shook his head with a smirk. "What?"

"Nothing Sora…Oh look, there's something shiny," commented Riku as he looked out the cockpit window.

Sora immediately turned to look as well, "Where…Hey!" He turned to glare at his chuckling friend.

When Sora chuckled as well and then began babbling about Gummi ships, Riku released a silent sigh, relieved that his friend was able to move past thoughts of darkness and blame so quickly.

He was glad Sora at least had gotten through the events of the past year and a half without a stain on his heart.


	152. Stereo

_Prompt: Stereo_

_Given by: Sarieu_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None; Implied Leon/Riku_

* * *

"Damn; and I thought Yuffie was bad enough on her own…" Cid muttered after Yuffie and Sora had left the reconstruction committee's headquarters. 

"She is," stated Zell, "And here I was thinking that she and Sora might wear each other out…"

"Pfft, Those two only have two settings: hyper and lazy," said Riku as he entered the room. "Put them together and all their random thoughts and ideas tend to set them in hyper mode."

"No wonder you can put up with Yuffie so well," stated Zell. "You had to put up with Sora for long enough."

"I never actually 'put up' with Sora, but yeah," replied the silver-haired teen as he took Cid's place at the computer.

"Sorry, didn't mean to insult your best friend or anything, but you know," Zell shrugged.

"I know," answered Riku with a small smirk. "He and Yuffie are even worse then him and Kairi." Suddenly the boy shuddered.

"What?" asked Cid, who stopped mid-stretch after leaving the computer, "You alright?"

"Yeah, I just thought of what it would be like if Selphie and Yuffie ever met," the teal-eyed boy responded.

Zell raised an eyebrow, "That bad, huh?"

"Damn…Sora isn't planning on bringing any of your other little friends out here is he?" questioned Cid.

"No," answered Riku. "We aren't allowed to anyway. He wasn't even supposed to mention any of this stuff to them."

"Good, because as much as I like that kid, he and Yuffie like to drivel in stereo enough as it is." The Gummi mechanic shook his head.

"Actually, that's not just annoying," added Zell. "It's also a bit creepy. I mean, it ranges from funny to annoying when they start talking over one another in a rush like that, but when they reply to you the same way, in the same pitch, at the same time…yeah. They're definitely cut from the same cloth."

Cid nodded his agreement as he lit a cigarette. "Thank Shiva this one ain't like that," he jerked his head in Riku's direction as he spoke.

"Gee, thanks Cid," the silver-haired boy stated uncertainly before quietly adding, "I think…"

Zell grinned, "Yeah, I'd really have to lay into Leon if he was…"

Cid snorted, "You wouldn't have a reason to if he was…"

"True," the tattooed man nodded. "How long is Sora staying here anyway? Doesn't he have school to get back to?"

"He had a couple weeks off for something," replied Cid before he turned an inquisitive expression to Riku. "Come to think of it, why the hell aren't you in school?"

"Because it's four o'clock," the silvered adolescent stated flatly, "And before you ask, I already did my homework."

"Oh…good then," Cid took a drag off his cigarette and returned his attention to Zell, who was clearly hiding the fact that he was chuckling. "What the hell are you laughing at?"

The blonde stifled another chuckle. "Nothing…so Riku, I bet you're really going to miss Sora when he has to go home…ever think about going home again yourself?"

The teen turned to face the man, raised one silver eyebrow, and adopted an expression that said more than words ever could.

"I guess those were pretty pointless questions," Zell said, looking slightly uncomfortable and a little guilty.

Riku returned to the computer, shaking his head slightly.

Zell turned back to Cid, who was still watching him with a questioning expression. "I think he's spent enough quality time with Leon now."

Cid shrugged, "I'd rather him take after Stone-face than the dynamic duo."

"Hey, Cid," Sora and Yuffie chimed in suspiciously perky tones as they entered the room.

"What are you two up to now?" asked the Gummi mechanic in a narked tone.

"Nothing," Sora and Yuffie chorused innocently, although both of their faces had turned a decidedly cerise colour.

"Er…do you know where Riku is?" asked Sora as he rubbed the back of his neck in a notably nervous gesture.

"I'm over here, Sora," commented the silver-haired teen, not looking away from what he was doing. "You pranced right past me on your way in."

"I didn't prance," demanded the spiky-haired boy as he turned to his best friend.

Riku turned to him with a small smile, "Sure you didn't. So what _are _you up to, anyway?"

"Uh, I think we should tell you about it _outside_," said the blue-eyed teen as Yuffie nodded enthusiastically beside him.

Teal eyes suddenly widened as the smile slipped off Riku's face in a heartbeat, "You didn't…"

Sora rubbed his neck again and offered the teal-eyed boy an apologetic expression. "Er…Sorry…?"

Riku immediately saved the work he had been doing on the computer, then he stood and threw on his jacket as he motioned for the other two to leave with him.

Riku turned his head to glance at the two elders in the room, who where watching the exchange with a combination of confusion and suspicion. "Cid, can you tell Leon I had to go handle some damage control and I'll explain and finish that tomorrow?"

"Sure thing, Kid," answered the Gummi mechanic.

With a thankful nod, Riku followed the other two out of the house before all three broke out into a dead run.

The two blonde men turned to look at one another.

"Why wouldn't he see Leon before tomorrow?" asked Zell.

"If it's because of something those two did, then I don't think we want to know," answered Cid as he returned to his computer and lit another cigarette.


	153. Dance

_Prompt: Dance_

_Given by: Sarieu_

_Setting: Destiny Islands; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Sora/Penelo, One-sided Leon/Riku; Possible Leon/Riku_

* * *

Sora looked up from his homework to glance across the table at Riku for the fifth time in the span of a half-hour. 

"Do you need help, Sora?" asked the silver-haired teen as he glanced at his friend.

The spiky-haired boy blushed slightly. "What makes you think I need help?" he demanded heatedly.

"Whoa, I don't know what I missed, but I didn't mean anything by that," responded the teal-eyed boy. "I always help you with your homework, and you keep peeking at me, so I thought maybe you were confused…sorry."

Riku regarded Sora with a combination of irritation, confusion, and hurt for a second before returning to his own homework. The spiky-haired brunette bit his lip before clearing his throat.

"Er…Riku…?" Sora asked nervously.

The teal-eyed boy did not look up from his homework this time, "Hmm…?"

"Look, I'm sorry I snapped at you." Sora sighed and then mumbled, "I just…uh…Are you going to the dance at school on Friday?"

Riku blinked uncertainly and then looked up at the brunette, "No…"

"Why not?" asked Sora, a little too quickly for it to be out of simple curiosity.

The silver-haired boy looked at the spiky-haired boy curiously; "Sora, aside from that first dance that you begged me to go to because you were terrified of being the only person without a date, when have I ever gone to dances?"

"Yeah…I was sort of wondering about that," replied Sora, looking both nervous and curious. "Why don't you ever go?"

Riku took on a deceivingly impassive expression and tone as he replied. "Where are you going with this?"

Sora blinked at his friend's reaction before answering; "I was just wondering whether you knew how to dance. I thought maybe that was why you didn't go."

Riku looked notably relieved before a slight flush tinted his cheeks. "Well, I didn't before…but that wasn't why I didn't go. I just never wanted to…"

Sora looked surprised and curious before his attention seemed to shift. "Wait…you said _before_. So...that means you can dance now. Did you mean before as in…you know."

Riku nodded and slowly lowered the textbook he had been holding until it laid on the table before him.

"How did you end up learning to dance throughout all of that?" questioned Sora. "I mean, I made friends and entered musical pageants, but you…you're all business when it comes to that stuff."

Riku shrugged. "I met Leon while you were sleeping. I don't know if he realised who I was, but he recognised the Keyblade and he couldn't remember you…anyway, he was nice to me and we started sparring regularly. One day he just…started showing me how to dance."

"Leon can dance?" asked Sora, when the other boy nodded with a small smile, his eyebrows rose slightly. "Huh…I never would have guessed. Why did he teach you though? Was it supposed to help with your fighting somehow? I think you're graceful enough on your own…did it have anything to do with the blindfold? Were you wearing that thing the whole time?"

Again, Riku shrugged. "I have no idea, and yes, I was."

"You don't know?" asked Sora incredulously.

"He never said and I never asked." Riku did not appear to find this odd.

Sora did not bother to curb the surprise and curiosity in his tone and expression. "What about when he started? Didn't he offer some kind of explanation? How did it happen?"

"Like I said, we were sparring one day and he just started showing me," Riku replied calmly. "I didn't know what he was doing at first. I could tell his movements were changing, but I couldn't tell what was going on until he put his sword away and took my waist. He kept doing that after we sparred until I stopped coming…"

Sora straightened, "He took your-"

Riku interrupted; clearly realising his choice of wording had confused the other boy. "He put his hand on my waist, you know, like people do when they're dancing?"

"Oh, that makes sense…sort of." Despite his words, Sora still looked lost. "It's still weird that neither of you ever said anything about it. I really would have expected you to question it."

"I actually liked it," Riku admitted quietly as that slight blush graced his cheeks once more.

"Really...?" Sora looked his friend over with an oddly appraising expression. "I bet you're good at it…"

"Leon seemed to think so, but to be honest, I'm not sure if I could lead since I never actually did," Riku stated indifferently.

"So you mostly know it from the girl's angle?" Sora stated more then questioned with an oddly thoughtful expression. He waited only a second before asking, "Do you think you could tell a guy what he should be doing if he were messing up though?"

Now Riku looked slightly lost. "Er…Yeah, why…?"

"Because I _do _need help, but I wasn't sure if you _could _help me before," answered Sora, now sounding serious but excited. "Now I am. I asked Penelo to the dance, and she said yes, but I've only really danced underwater and I want to impress her. Think you can help me?"

The corner of Riku's mouth curled up slightly. "Definitely; we can start after we finish our homework if you want."

Sora's grin threatened to crack his face. "Great! Thanks _so _much, Riku. Er…one more thing though…"

Riku looked slightly apprehensive, "Yeah…?"

"Can we keep it a secret?" Sora asked as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I sort of want to surprise her."

Riku's smile returned, "Of course. We'll tell everybody that I'm helping you prep for that test next Friday. I'll come over at the usual time, we'll do our homework, and then we'll work on your dancing. Then, we will keep up the schedule next week, only I'll actually help you prep for the exam then. Okay?"

Sora's smile returned as well, "That's perfect. I hadn't even thought of that quiz yet either. Thanks Riku."

"Of course," the silver-haired boy said he picked up his textbook again.

"Oh, and Riku…?" Sora questioned as he returned to his own, mostly uncompleted homework. "I already figured out that you have a crush on Leon…I never would have guessed it went that far back though."

Riku's eyes stopped moving, although he did not look up from his book. "Promise not to say anything?"

"Of course," Sora answered with a smile.

Riku smiled lightly as well, and both boys returned to their homework. After a few minutes, Sora started glancing at Riku again.

"Do you need help, Sora?" asked the silver-haired teen as he glanced at his friend with a grin.

Sora grinned back, "I'm totally lost on this history report…"


	154. Computer

_Prompt: Computer_

_Given by: Sarieu_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None; Possible Leon/Riku_

* * *

"Sora, get in here!" The spiky-haired boy trotted into the computer room at Yuffie's anxious call.

"Hey, what's up?" asked Sora as he approached the hyperactive ninja, who was looking at the computer screen in confusion.

"What's it doing?" questioned Yuffie as a warning began flashing on the screen.

"Uh-oh," Sora turned from the screen to Yuffie. "Don't worry, I know what to do."

"Good," answered Yuffie with a nod before turning back to the computer. "Next time, I'm the lookout and you're handling this thing."

"Riku!" The ninja jumped as Sora yelled his friend's name at the top of his lungs.

Yuffie chuckled. "That's how you're handling it?"

Sora turned to her with an irked expression. "You have any better ideas?"

"No, but Riku isn't here," answered Yuffie. "He left after we promised we weren't going to do this."

"Oh…right," Sora rubbed the back of his neck. "He's going to be pissed. Maybe we should-"

Suddenly, the Heartless Manufactory started up, and several shadow Heartless sprang out of the contraption.

Two pairs of eyes widened before meeting.

"We need Riku," Sora stated.

Yuffie nodded and both turned and bolted to find the silver-haired boy.

Yuffie grabbed Sora's arm to halt him shortly before they reached Merlin's old house. "We should play it cool. Maybe we can get this sorted without anyone knowing what we we're trying to do."

The spiky-haired boy nodded, "Okay. Come on…"

They entered the room together and greeted the first person they saw as jovially as they could to indicate that nothing was wrong.

"Hey, Cid!" They chimed.

The Gummi mechanic turned to them with an irritated and suspicious expression, "What are you two up to now?"

"Nothing," Sora and Yuffie chorused innocently.

Sora rubbed the back of his neck, hoping that the heat spreading in his face and neck did not mean that he was blushing too noticeably. "Er…Do you know where Riku is?"

"I'm over here, Sora," stated his best friend's smooth voice from the corner. Sora glanced over to see Riku working at Cid's computer. "You pranced right past me on your way in."

"I didn't prance," Sora demanded as he turned to face his friend fully. Yuffie nonchalantly stepped on his foot, causing the spiky-haired teen to recall that he had come because he seriously needed his friend's help.

Riku had already turned to Sora with a light smile, and the brunette suddenly felt a bit of guilt on top of his panic. "Sure you didn't," Riku said, smile still in place, "So what _are _you up to, anyway?" The mischievous glint to those teal eyes indicated that Riku suspected they had moved on to other mischief once they made their earlier promise to him.

"Uh, I think we should tell you about it _outside_." Sora noticed Yuffie nodding enthusiastically beside him as the smile dropped off Riku's face and his eyes widened slightly.

"You didn't…" Riku's voice was soft, but Sora recognised the tone anyway. The silver-haired boy already knew the answer.

Sora rubbed the back of his neck as the guilty feeling crept back up his spine. He looked at his best friend apologetically. "Er…Sorry…?"

Riku did not respond. Instead, he immediately saved whatever he had been working on, stood, and threw on his jacket in one fluid motion before indicating that Sora and Yuffie were to leave with him.

Sora noticed that Cid and Zell, who he had not even realised was preset before, were both regarding him and Yuffie with an obvious combination of confusion and suspicion. He heard Riku ask them to tell Leon that he needed to take care of some 'damage control' before the silver-haired boy followed them out of the house. Sora was glad that his friend was handling this as discreetly as he and Yuffie were trying to, although he suspected that Riku was doing a more convincing job of it.

As soon as Riku passed the steps leading up to the small house, he broke into a dead run for Ansem's old research centre with Sora and Yuffie on his heels.

"What exactly are we dealing with?" Riku called over his shoulder once they reached the Postern.

"We're not sure what we did," answered Sora. "Yuffie was on the computer and suddenly it started flashing a warning and the Heartless Manufactory came to life."

Riku released a frustrated groan and summoned Way to the Dawn as they entered the corridors of the centre.

Sora and Yuffie soon followed suit with their own weapons, as the halls were already swarming with Heartless.

Once they cleared most of the Heartless in the computer room, Riku glanced at Sora. "You guys keep them back while I try to figure out what you did and how to fix it."

"Okay…Sorry," replied Sora as he and Yuffie began attacking any Heartless that entered from the Manufactory while Riku set to work on the computer.

When the number of Heartless being manufactured failed to diminish after a moment, Yuffie turned to Riku and called, "Anytime now would be good!"

A few Heartless attacked the silver-haired boy while he was concentrating on the computer, and he summoned a Dark Shield just before the first two would have made contact. "I'd move quicker if you would actually keep these things off me."

"We're trying," Sora called over as he struck another heartless with his Keyblade.

Another Heartless attacked Riku, but a bullet met it as it lunged at the boy. Sora and Yuffie turned to see Leon entering the room fully, revolver still smoking, with Zell and Cid behind him.

"How the hell did this happen?" asked Cid as the three men joined the fray.

"We're not sure," said Sora.

"We were just trying to access some secret files," added Yuffie.

"I wasn't even in the room when all this started," Sora stated as struck another Heartless.

"Hey, it was your idea to begin with," called Yuffie.

"Just shut up and keep fighting," hollered Cid.

"Riku?" questioned Leon, apparently not feeling the need to say more.

"I need another two minutes to reverse what they did, but it will take hours to shut this down completely," answered the teal-eyed boy. "The Heartless should stop coming in about three minutes or so."

"Alright," answered the Gunblade wielder. "Sora, Yuffie; stay by Riku and keep the Heartless off him. Zell, Cid, and I will handle as many as we can before they get that close."

Everyone did as instructed, and sure enough, within three minutes the Heartless Manufactory stopped sending out the creatures. Riku continued working on the computer to shut the Manufactory down permanently as the others caught their breaths.

Once he checked on Riku, Leon turned to Yuffie and Sora, who were sitting on the floor beside the computer. "Alright, I don't know what you two were trying, but from now on, neither of you are to touch this computer unless you are being supervised by me, Riku, or Cid, understood?"

Yuffie and Sora both nodded, "Understood," they chorused.

Zell spoke as they stood with the hopes of leaving before more could be said. "What exactly were you two doing that could have caused this anyway?"

Sora and Yuffie glanced at one another, the former rubbed his neck as the latter bit her lip. Sora glanced at Riku and noticed that his back had stiffened. Leon noticed this as well before eyeing the two culprits suspiciously.

Leon returned his attention to Riku as he spoke. "Alright, Cid, why don't you stay here in case Riku needs any help?"

The Gummi mechanic nodded and approached the boy at the computer.

Leon glanced at Zell, "Thanks for getting me. You can go back to whatever you were doing now."

The tattooed man waved off his friends thanks with a grin. "Actually, weren't we just saying we needed a couple grunts for that project by the castle?"

Leon smirked slightly, "Good thinking. All right you two, come with us. You can explain on the way."

Sora and Yuffie grudgingly followed the two men out of the room, both deciding that they were never going to touch a computer ever again.


	155. Calculator

_Prompt: Calculator_

_Given by: Sarieu_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Leon/Riku; Implied Past Sephiroth/OC_

* * *

"Hey, I get how some people handle stressful situations differently and all, but really; you're drawing when we're about to get attacked by a mob of Heartless controlled by some villains bent on concurring our world," stated Zack as he sauntered to where Riku was sitting on the stairs with a pencil and a large sketchpad propped against his knees.

A single silver eyebrow rose, but Riku did not look away from the page before him as he answered. "I'm not drawing. Leon put me in charge of logistics."

Violet eyes widened slightly as he leaned over to look at the outline the boy had drawn of the town, as well as the likely attack points, weaknesses, and suggestions as to where everyone should be positioned. "Damn kid, I had wondered who Leon got for this…even _we're_ not this good, and we've seen plenty of battles."

"I sort of figured that when I made a suggestion to Leon and he decided to put me in charge of this," commented Riku as he continued to work on the diagram. "I'm almost done here."

"You've got yourself on the frontline," noted Zack.

"Yeah, it's where I'll be the most useful in the battle," replied the silver-haired boy.

The former SOLDIER sighed and shook his head. "I shouldn't be surprised."

"Why is that?" asked Riku, still focused on finishing his task.

A small smile pulled at Zack's lips, "Because your father was a human calculator too."

Teal eyes met violet for the first time since Zack joined the boy on the steps leading to the Bailey.

"Really…? Was that true even before…" Riku's voice trailed off. His eyed held a question he was obviously not sure if he wanted to ask or not.

"He was like for as long as I knew him," answered Zack. After studying the adolescent's eyes a moment longer, he asked, "How much do you know about all that?"

"Not much; I know enough about what happened to _him_…and Genesis; not so much about Angeal," answered Riku as he turned his face back to the page on his lap. "I also know that I didn't get out of all of that as clear as we had assumed. I don't know all the details though. Most of it's in those files you refuse to return."

"Riku…I don't want you to look into this any further," Zack stated, sounding more serious than the teal-eyed boy had ever heard him.

To be honest, I don't want to either," answered Riku, once again not looking up at the man as he spoke. "I really felt like I was getting past everything…like I could just be happy here with you and Leon and…just everyone. That's why I have to find out more. What if I start changing like they did? I can't do that here…not after everything you guys have worked so hard to rebuild."

"You know, those guys didn't really change until after they learned the details about what was done to them," stated Zack. When Riku did not respond, he decided to continue. "We aren't going to simply let you leave anyway. You should know that by now. You're a part of our little troupe here, and we don't let one of our own just take off when they have a problem."

"You know I can hide from you if I really want to," commented Riku.

"Maybe, maybe not," Zack sighed. "Look, Riku; why don't you leave the research to me. I intend to find out as much as I can, and I'll let you know if I find anything that might be a problem, or if you start showing signs of something happening. I'd recognise them better then you would anyway."

There was a bittersweet tone to the teenager's voice as he answered. "Thanks Zack, but I can't put that kind of responsibility on you."

"It doesn't matter whether you want to give me this responsibility or not, I'm taking it either way," stated Zack. He reached over and tucked some silver strands behind Riku's ear.

"And we both know Leon will question me about everything I learn, so why don't you just try being a normal, sixteen-year-old, Jenova-cell inflicted, Keyblade wielding, master of shadows, and leave this one to us?" Zack grinned as Riku released a soft chuckle over the description.

"Leon will try to take care of you no matter what you do at this point, and I'm practically your godfather, so there's no way I'm backing off. Just trust us…we won't let you go." The raven-haired man hoped that the change in tone on the last few words made their full meaning clear.

Zack knew he had succeeded when Riku looked at him again. The silver-haired boy wore a soft smile, but the emotion in his eyes ran much deeper. "Okay…I trust you. Now can I finish this? We are about to be attacked, you know," he added as the smile turned to a small smirk.

"Yeah, but that's part of what makes us so cool," answered Zack with a returning smirk. "We can have these deep and meaningful little bonding moments and then go maul through thousands of Heartless without breaking a sweat. You better have me on that frontline with you, by the way."

Riku ginned, "You're on the frontline too, but not quite by me. I thought it would be better to spread the heavy hitters out a bit…fill in some weak points, you know?"

"Ah, so I'm by Cloud then?" asked Zack, his smirk growing as he stood. "Good, I can see how much of his training he actually retained. I've wanted to brush up on the little guy's skills…"

Riku chuckled again while he stood as well. Zack draped an arm around the adolescent's narrow shoulders as they turned to show Leon and the others the battle plan before they had to put it into action.

After the battle, Leon made a mental note to ask Zack what he had said to Riku when, even after he had to use multiple dark abilities, the boy simply smiled at him and kissed him before allowing the man to lead him home. It was as though the silver-haired boy had no concerns beyond the fact that they were all alright.

…Of course, the Gunblade wielder had no complaints as he took the teal-eyed boy home for the evening after their victory.


	156. Exclamation Point

_Prompt: Exclamation Point_

_Given by: Sarieu_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Zack/Aerith, Leon/Riku, Tifa/Rude, Cid/Shera_

* * *

"Come in, Sora. I'm so glad you could come," greeted Aerith when the spiky-haired boy knocked on her door.

"Thanks for inviting me," said Sora as he came in and shrugged off his coat, which the kind woman took. "Here, my mom sent some zucchini bread; there's chocolate and regular."

"That was nice of her," said Aerith with a smile. "Tell her I said 'thanks'. Leon and Zell just arrived; they're in the sitting room with Zack, and Riku's helping me in the kitchen."

"Cool; I don't think you want me in your kitchen," Sora responded with a grin. "Tell Riku to come and actually socialise a little bit when you're done with him."

The brown-haired woman returned his grin. "I will; he could do with a little more socialising." With a smile, Aerith returned to the kitchen as Sora headed to the sitting room.

"Happy Thanksgiving guys," Sora called cheerfully as he entered to find Zell in the middle of telling a rather animated story while Zack chuckled and Leon grinned. "I'm surprised I beat everybody else here."

"I think we're mainly it for this group," said Zack. "Tifa and Rude are celebrating at their new place too. Barret went there with Marlene, naturally. She's been asking to see Denzel for a while now. Cloud, Yuffie, Cid, Shera, Reeve, and Reno are over there. Vincent stopped by to say 'hi' to everyone there first, but he should be coming over pretty soon."

Zell grinned, "Aw, he wanted to see his grandson…"

"Wow, their place is going to be crowded," commented the teen. Suddenly he blinked in confusion, "Wait, who's his grandson? I didn't know he had one."

"Ask Riku to fill you in later," commented Leon.

"Okay, I've been informed I need to socialise…," stated Riku as he entered the room.

"Riku!" Sora gave his friend a fierce hug.

"Good to see you too, Sora," said Riku as he patted his friend's back. "I see you're finally getting taller."

"Yeah," replied Sora brightly. "The next time you see me, I'll probably be as tall as you."

Riku rolled his eyes, "I doubt you'll stay away long enough for _that _to happen."

"What are you talking about?" demanded Sora. "You haven't grown any more and we haven't seen each other in forever…not since you moved here permanently."

The teal-eyed boy quirked an eyebrow, "It's only been a little more than three months, you realise."

"I still missed you," stated the spiky-haired teen with a shrug. "And don't pretend you didn't miss me. I know you did…just because _you _never get excited anymore…"

"What are you mumbling about now?" asked the silver-haired boy.

"Of course he gets excited," stated Zell with smirk. "We just ask Leon and him not to tell us the details…"

Leon shot his friend a half-hearted glare while Zack poorly disguised a chuckle as a cough.

"Well they have to get excited somewhere," stated Sora. "I swear they're the most impassive people I've ever met. They need to learn how to verbalise an exclamation point…"

"Hey, we're still here, you know," commented Leon flatly.

Sora pointed to Leon, "See? You really could have used some more emotion there."

"The kid actually has a point there," remarked Zell. Zack nodded in agreement.

"Riku used to be a little better with that, but-" Sora smiled brightly. "Actually, it's weird but, he's been getting more open since he started spending so much time with Leon."

"Why is that weird?" asked Leon.

"Because you aren't open," answered Zell without missing a beat.

"Guys, stop picking on Leon," commented Aerith as she entered the room with a platter of assorted snack breads and cookies. "Here, you can work on these until dinner. The zucchini bread is from Sora's mother, the fruitcake cookies are from Tifa, the pumpkin bread is mine, and the rest Riku and Leon brought."

"You can compliment Riku on these," stated Leon as he took a cookie. "He's the baker in our house."

"Here, lemme try some of the pumpkin bread," said Zell. Sora and Zack each took a slice as well while Aerith smiled and headed back to the kitchen, calling over her shoulder on her way, "Don't get filled up on that!"

Once Aerith was out of sight, Riku caught Sora's wrist just before the spiky-haired teen was about to bite into the bread.

"Hey!" Before Sora could ask about his friend's behaviour, Zack spitted out the bite he had taken from his own bread, and Zell began chocking the mouthful he had quickly swallowed of his. Leon stepped over to pat the blonde's back.

"Huh; what's wrong with them?" asked Sora.

"Aerith mistook the salt for sugar again, didn't she?" questioned Zack with a fond smile.

Riku nodded, "I saved the stuffing, cornbread, and pies, but I'm not sure you guys will want to try the casserole she made…some of those flavours cannot be complimentary…"

Zack's smile never faltered. "You know, I love that woman, but sometimes I wonder if she lost her sense of taste or just likes some strange foods..."

The other men nodded their understanding while Riku shook his head and Sora glanced at the bread in his hand wearily. "I think I'll take one of Riku's cookies instead."

"Good idea," commented Zell as he grabbed a piece of zucchini bread. He glanced at Riku before eating it this time. "Is this stuff safe?"

"Oh yeah; Mrs. Hiruma is a great cook," answered the teal-eyed boy as he took a piece of the same bread.

Zell took an experimental nip before shoving the entire slice into his mouth and giving Sora a thumbs up while grabbing a piece of the chocolate zucchini bread to follow.

"You know, I always thought Aerith would be a good cook," said Sora thoughtfully.

"Most do," said Zell.

"She isn't that bad," added Zack. "When she follows a recipe she's fine…when she decides to experiment; now that's when you need to worry."

Zell patted the raven-haired man's shoulder. "Either you're just a damn good boyfriend or you're the one who's lost their sense of taste." Both men chuckled good-naturedly.

"Usually one of us who knows a bit about cooking checks her experiments and try to fix them as much as we can before she serves them to anyone else," stated Leon.

"Oh," Sora continued to look thoughtful for a moment before he turned his attention to Riku. "In that case, we can catch up later. Go save dinner."

Riku grinned, "Why did you think I stayed in the kitchen even after I heard you arrive?"

"Ah-ha! So you _did _miss me," Sora stated with a victorious smile.

"Of course…it _has _been a little over three months, that's the longest we've ever been apart…unless you count the year you slept through." Riku shrugged at the three men's smirks and '_aw's_, and then stroked Leon's hand on his way out of the room.

Aerith looked both flattered and confused when everyone else laughed or grinned as Zack took the casserole at dinner and stated that it was all his and none of the others could have it.


	157. Cyber

_Prompt: Cyber_

_Given by: Jao Ensatsu Kokuryuha_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Leon/Riku_

* * *

Leon entered his house and kicked the door closed behind him before leaning on it and closing his eyes. Riku had been gone for less than three weeks, but the Gunblade wielder had been tetchy and uptight as of the second day of their parting. This was not one of his better days, and he did not even want to _see _a computer again for the rest of the week.

Suddenly, he caught the scent of manicotti, and entered the kitchen to find some freshly washed cutlery in the drain rack and a pan of pasta cooking in the oven. A small smile graced his features as he walked into the hallway.

The bathroom was still slightly fogged and filled with a familiar fresh, earthy scent.

To Leon's mild surprise, he found Riku's room empty, but when he turned to head back to the sitting room, he noticed that his own bedroom door was ajar.

Leon quietly entered and found the silver-haired boy curled up on his bed, wearing an old pair of jeans and an oversized t-shirt, with his slightly damp hair spilling out over the duvet.

The Gunblade wielder brushed some of the damp bangs away from the slumbering boy's face as the smile returned to his own features.

Riku sighed quietly and stirred before teal eyes opened and sought out the steel blue ones staring down at him. When their eyes met, Riku smiled softly as well. "Hey."

"Welcome back," replied Leon. "I was starting to worry. Everything go okay?"

Riku nodded as he leaned up on one elbow and scooted over so Leon could lie down beside him. "We fought some Heartless, met some worthless princes, and warned all the princesses."

"Worthless princes, huh?" repeated Leon with a smirk.

"Oh yeah, they've got nothing on you," replied the silver-haired adolescent. "A couple are alright, but still…" The silver-haired adolescent rolled his eyes.

"So you told Sora about Kairi, then?" asked Leon gently. He knew that had been concerning his young lover. "How did he take it?"

"Alright," answered Riku calmly. "He reacted as I expected, but I was able to distract him pretty quickly and then he just got over it…I don't know how he does that."

"Did you use the 'there's something shiny' technique," asked Leon, "It works on Yuffie nine out of ten times."

Riku chuckled, "Actually, that's not too far off…"

Leon chuckled as well, but then asked in a more serious tone, "So you think the princesses will be okay for now?"

"Well, whoever goes after Esmeralda -that's the new one- is going to have a much bigger problem on their hands then they expect. Not only is she a good fighter, but she has some pretty impressive friends and a decent attack goat…don't ask. Jasmine, Belle, and Aurora have decent princes and good friends to watch out for them," the cyan-eyed teen responded tiredly. "Alice, Cinderella, and Snow White are sitting ducks."

Leon nodded and brushed back the teen's hair once again. "At least she'll have trouble with more than half of them."

Riku shrugged as well as he could in his current position. "What about you? Anything new going on here…? Did you get that wall finished like you wanted?"

Leon smiled deeply at the boy. "I'm fine now. …Yeah, we got that finished. Zell literally kicked Reno's ass in the process, but it's done. We're having another issue with one of Ansem's old computer programs but that's no surprise, and now that you're back, I doubt it will be an issue for much longer."

Leon snaked an arm around the Riku's waist and pulled the boy closer as he rolled onto his back. Then he left his arm draped over the teen's svelte body. "A man wants to open a cybernetics shop and research office here…I don't much care for the idea, but I don't see any legitimate reason to stop him. Of course, Scrooge has been impossible since he learned about cybernetics. He wants to cybernate his ice cream parlour to increase production and decrease labour costs…"

"Does he know enough about computers to set that up?" asked Riku, settling his head on Leon's shoulder and resting his hand on the sable-haired man's chest with the palm directly over Leon's heart.

"No," answered the steel-eyed man. "He wants to hire someone to set it up and then show him and his employees how to run the program. Cid and I have both refused already, so expect him to come to you as soon as he learns you're back."

"Thanks for the warning." Leon could hear the grin in Riku's voice. It was not there when he continued speaking though. "Why don't you like the idea of the cybernetics shop…or more to the point, the research office?"

"You know me too well," replied Leon as he inhaled the lingering scent of the teenager's shampoo. "I don't know…after all the trouble with Hojo, Ansem the Wise, Xehanort…I'm just a little uncomfortable about that type of research going on here. I know I can't stop it and all of it isn't going to lead to catastrophe, but I just don't like it."

Riku nodded slightly. "That's understandable…But think of Barret, and that cyborg I told you about, Silver; people like them wouldn't be able to live as they do without that research. And clearly it has more practical uses…like what Scrooge wants to use it for."

"That's all true," answered Leon as he gently ran his fingers over the boy's ribcage.

He felt Riku smirk against his shoulder. "You still hate the idea of it opening here. Why don't you just suggest he set up in Traverse Town? He'll have a better demand for his research and products there, and Reeve can watch him."

Leon smirked as well, "I knew I missed you for a reason…or several."

"...Several…?" repeated Riku.

"You've been home for what, forty minutes tops? And already you have one of my favourite dinners in the oven, you've gotten me to relax after one hell of a week in only a few minutes, and you just solved an issue that's been bothering me for days with hardly a thought." The sable-haired man rubbed the boy's back and kissed the top of his head. "Not to mention what we'll be doing in this bed later; unless you're too tired, of course."

Riku chuckled and kissed the scared man's neck, "Are you forgetting how young I am again? I have plenty of energy. So what do you say we go eat dinner and then come back here and forget about princesses and cyber-any things for the rest of the evening?"

Leon smiled as the boy raised himself onto his knees and then straddled him. The scarred man leaned up on his elbows to capture the teen's soft lips with his own. "I love you."

"I love you too." Riku returned the smile when Leon leaned back, and then he stood and headed toward the kitchen.

Leon decided the day was not so bad as he stood to follow the silver-haired boy.


	158. Myth

_Prompt: Myth_

_Given by Jao Ensatsu Kokuryuha_

_Setting: Port Royal; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None_

_Author's note: Just to warn you, this one is random as hell._

* * *

"Gwarsh…Why are we in a swamp?" asked Goofy as he, Donald, Sora, and Riku tied their small boat to a tree.

"Because Jack said that the woman who lives here might be able to help us figure out the truth," answered Sora.

"_Us_…? I think you're the only one who's questioning this so adamantly, Sora," replied Riku.

"How can you not be curious about this?" demanded the spiky-haired teen. His teal-eyed best friend merely shrugged impassively.

"Ah, witty Jack sends de junior heroes to ask questions," said a woman behind them, startling Donald and Goofy.

"Hey, what's the big idea?" snapped Donald. "And who are you calling _junior _heroes?"

"Er, are you Tia Dalma?" asked Sora, ignoring the incensed duck.

The woman nodded, "Did Jack remember to mention mine payment?"

"Er…no," answered Sora as he exchanged glances with the others. "We didn't bring any Munny…"

Donald and Goofy began searching their pockets. Riku turned to Tia, "What if you can't answer his question?"

"Den I give de payment back," answered Tia simply.

The silver-haired boy nodded, "What about this?" He pulled a leather chord from his pocket, which had a luminescent crystal attached to the end. "It's from the lost city of Atlantis. The crystal will continue to glow as long as the heart of their city remains undisturbed."

Tia smiled, never taking her eyes off Riku's face as she reached out and took the crystal, "De payment is fair; come inside."

The others began to follow her, but Riku did not move. "How do you know the payment is fair? You don't even know what Sora wants to ask yet."

"Some have a touch of destiny to them…you have been saturated by it. You be de Keyblade's chosen wielders," replied the fortuneteller. "Your friend wants to know the truth about the tale of the Keyblade, yes?"

Sora and Riku looked at one another, clearly having some sort of silent communication before the teal-eyed boy lowered his head and all four friends followed the strange woman into her home.

After Sora, Donald, and Goofy sat at the table while Riku remained standing beside Sora, the spiky-haired teen turned to the priestess. "Jack says you're more than you seem, and that you probably know the truth about the different myths surrounding the Keyblade."

"Ah, but 'tis de myth that be different, or them perspectives," Tia turned her attention to the silver-haired boy once again. "You would know more about de importance of perspective than your funny friend."

Riku arched one thin eyebrow, but made no comment.

Sora looked at his friend uncertainly, knowing how uncomfortable that comment must have made him, before returning his attention to Tia after it as clear that Riku intended to stay. "Well, the stories are obviously different; one says that the Keyblade's chosen wielder saved the worlds, and another says he doomed them…"

"Same story, different versions, and all of dem are true," stated Tia.

"But…how is that possible?" asked Sora.

Riku rolled his eyes and held out one hand. Way to the Dawn appeared in it. After giving Sora a pointed look, he released the Keyblade.

"Oh…so maybe one wilder did each," said Sora.

"Or what some people consider dooming the worlds is what others consider saving them, a'yuck" suggested Goofy merrily.

"…or both," Riku said quietly. "They walked different paths, like us, but maybe they couldn't see that they were both heading toward the same destination…so they fought…"

"Oh," Sora looked thoughtful. "You mean, like we did before we understood what was going on?"

Riku nodded once and Tia mirrored the gesture, glancing at Riku again as she spoke to Sora. "'Tis what happened. Your silver friend also be more than he appears…and him heart speaks true when him mind slows long enough to listen."

Sora glanced at his friend again, "How do you know they walked different paths?"

"Because the Keyblades were left along different paths," replied Riku flatly. "And You, Mickey, and I can't all just use each other's Keyblades…obviously, there's a difference they can sense."

The blue-eyed boy looked thoughtful, "Huh…I never thought about that before. But you're right…I can't use Way to the Dawn; I can't even take it from you."

"Gwarsh, maybe you chose your paths after the Keyblades chose you," said Goofy. "And now, you each just have to follow your own."

"Huh?" Sora looked confused.

"You cannot walk your friend's path, and he can not walk yours," said Tia. "But your paths take you to de same place in de end and your hearts be connected de whole time anyway."

Riku spoke again when Sora still looked slightly confused and a little worried. "We're probably going to be separated again during another quest, but you don't have to worry about history repeating itself, because even though our paths are different, our destination will always be the same, and even though we're apart, our hearts are always connected. …Shouldn't you know all of this already?"

"Yeah…I guess I just didn't think it was that simple," answered Sora before smiling at his best friend. "…And you call me a sap."

"Actually, I usually call you a _total_ sap," retorted the teal-eyed boy. "Because you are…"

Sora opened his mouth to retort, but just then, the Keyblade appeared in his hand, and Way to the Dawn appeared in Riku's as well. A beam of light shot out of each, meeting before continuing into the horizon.

"I guess it's time to go," said Sora. He turned to look at Tia as Donald and Goofy waved and headed out the door. "Thanks for the help. I actually do feel a lot better now."

The priestess nodded again, "Just remember, a myth knows de past, but de future be unknown to even de wisest and most powerful of us all."

Sora nodded a she and Riku turned for the door a swell. "Thank you."

On their way out, Tia stopped Riku by placing a hand on his shoulder. When the silver-haired boy turned to face her, she handed him his crystal back.

Teal eyes looked uncertain, "But you were able to answer his question…"

The dark woman shook her head, "No, _you _answered him question. You deserve ta keep your payment." She ran a finger across Riku's jaw line as she retreated into her house. "…And keep listening to your heart."

The two teenagers turned to look at one another.

"There's something weird about her," commented Sora.

"She really isn't what she appears to be," stated Riku.

"What do you mean?" asked the spiky-haired teen.

"She's more powerful than she lets on…and her scent is strange," replied the teal-eyed adolescent.

"You're saying she smells funny?" questioned Sora. "Well, it doesn't look like she bathes properly…"

Riku rolled his eyes, "Not like that. I mean…never mind. Let's just go. This place is creepy and worlds are calling."

Sora laughed as his friend began to untie the boat. "You're just creeped out because a _girl _actually showed interest in you."

Riku smirked at his friend as they shoved off, "That too…"


	159. Love

_Prompt: Love_

_Given by: Heart-of-Memories_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Leon/Riku, Zack/Aerith_

* * *

"Zell," Leon called as he caught up to his friend. "I was wondering if you could do something for me…"

The tattooed man smirked, "What needs to be repaired now?"

"No, well there's always something," stated the scarred man, "But this is a personal favour."

"Oh, in that case, of course," said Zell as he stopped walking and turned to face his friend. "What do you need?"

"I was wondering if you could make me another one of these," replied Leon as he slipped off his ring and held it up for Zell to see.

The blonde man looked slightly confused, "Well, yeah…you know I'm good at that sort of thing, but why do you need another one? Since when do even take the sucker off?"

"It's a gift," answered the steel-eyed man, squaring his shoulders. "I need it to be about three and a half sizes smaller. Think you can do it?"

The tattooed man had taken the ring and was studying the lion incised on the band; he suddenly looked up when his friend finished speaking. "You mean, about Riku's size?"

"Exactly Riku's size," replied the scarred man levelly.

Light blue eyes blinked and looked down at the ring again. "You're sure you want to do this? I mean…this- This really means something…"

Leon never took his eyes off his friend's face, "…I know, and I'm sure."

"Look man," Zell met Leon's eyes. "I know I've been- Well, I haven't really been that supportive about Riku, but…if you're this serious about him…"

"I get it Zell," interrupted Leon still looking impassive, however the tension had left his shoulders. "Now can you make the damn ring or not?"

A smirk suddenly spread on Zell's face, "Yeah, I can make it."

"Will you?" asked Leon flatly.

The smirk grew on the tattooed man's face, "Of course…our resident lone wolf finally found his mate…how could I say no to that?"

Leon stared at his friend blankly for a moment, and then the corner of his lip twitched slightly.

Zell was grinning now, his eyes bright. "You _love _him… You actually are in love with that kid…I- Damn, Squall…I mean, Leon -whatever- This is great! Wait until Zack hears about this! Ever since he and Aerith first got together, he's been saying we need to find you a girl…maybe that was our problem with it…"

"No, it wasn't," interrupted Leon. "Riku…is a special case. Anyway, I was hoping to surprise him, so could you refrain from squealing about this again?"

"Fine, but I _didn't _squeal," replied Zell, smile fighting to stay in place.

"Sure, and that's why you're being so defensive about it," said Leon with a smirk of his own.

Now Zell's smile returned in full, "You know…As much I hate to admit it, I think I was wrong about you and that kid. Whatever you're doing is definitely working for you…Squall."

The smirk did not leave Leon face, "Thanks, Chicken-Wuss."

"Now why is it I hear Riku call you Squall without getting picked on for it?" asked Zell lightly as he pocketed the ring.

"Like I said, the kid's a special case," replied the steel-eyed man with a small smile. "Come on, we need to get working on that south wall…"

Zell was still smiling as the two men began walking again. "Well I guess there some things nothing can change…although you haven't been as obsessed with the restoration lately. Maybe Zack was right about you just needing to get-"

A cold look from steel blue eyes caused the tattooed man to cut his sentence short.

After a moment, Zell chuckled and shook his head. "It's good to have you back, Squall."

Leon rolled his eyes, "…whatever…"


	160. Heart

_Prompt: Heart_

_Given by: Heart-Of-Memories_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; (way) Pre-KH_

_Pairing: Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi)_

* * *

It had happened again. 

Sephiroth returned to awareness in a place he had no recollection of travelling to, with blood soaking his clothes. He himself had no injuries to speak of.

He had heard that voice again. _She _drowned out everything around him and every thought in his mind until he no longer thought at all, and then he suddenly awoke, as though from a strange dream of rage and screams, to find that he had been acting according to a will that was not his own.

Now, the silver-haired man sat on his sofa, staring into the fire as it consumed the last of the bloodstained clothing, and wondering just how far out of control this had gone. He had always believed that he could overpower _her _if it truly came down to it. He had not felt the fear or concern that Zack and Hilargi sometimes did.

Aside from his own impenetrable will, Sephiroth had gone to Hojo after the first such instance when he lost control to _her_. After Hilargi had expressed her concern, Sephiroth had decided there was no harm in asking for the scientist's assistance. It was his fault that Sephiroth had to deal with _her _anyway.

Recently however, Sephiroth began to wonder if his father truly was trying to assist him, or if this was merely another research opportunity to the scientist. Perhaps he was more interested in _her _influence than in helping Sephiroth to resist it.

In either case, Sephiroth was beginning to fear that he would not win this internal battle. However, losing his mind was not his primary concern. He was more afraid about losing his heart.

Even if _she_ controlled his mind, he believed his heart was strong enough to resist her if she tried to use him to harm someone he truly cared for. His heart would not stand to allow Hilargi or Riku to be harmed, or Zack or Genesis. In addition, it would always lead him back to them in the end.

However, if he lost his heart… there was no limit to what _she _could use him for…and there was no grantee that he would find his way home again. If he could no longer recall his loved ones…he could not bear to think of it.

Thankfully, he did not have to for long. For a small weeping sound drew his attention to the nursery.

Upon entering, his eyes immediately located Riku, curled up in his crib, griping the Moogle plushie Zack had given him with huge crystalline tears running down his pale cheeks.

No sooner had Sephiroth entered the room than Riku reached out one small hand for him, the other was still holding his stuffed Moogle tightly. "Da…da…"

Within seconds, Sephiroth had the baby cradled in one arm as he caressed him with the other. His son immediately curled into him and began to calm. "You almost said it that time," the silver-haired man whispered to the infant.

As if understanding, the small child gripped his father's shirt as tightly as he held his beloved toy and murmured, "Dada…"

A small gasp brought Sephiroth's attention to the doorway. Hilargi held one hand over her notably grinning mouth. "Did he just say 'dada'?" she whispered.

Sephiroth nodded once, smiling lightly himself as he watched his wife's own smile grow. "But he isn't due to speak for months…"

"I told you he would be brilliant," Sephiroth murmured, now meeting his son's striking aquamarine eyes.

Hilargi rolled her eyes. "At least you adore him as much as he adores you…it's no wonder you're his first word. I should have expected that since before he was born…"

Sephiroth said nothing, but simply stroked his son's fine hair with that slight smile still in place on his features.

"Oh well, no mama's boy for me. It's not like I was keen for one…I was simply hoping his father wouldn't be the _sole _centre of his universe," said Hilargi with a theatrical sigh. "What are you two doing up so late anyway?"

"Nightmares," Sephiroth answered, still watching Riku as the boy snuggled further against him.

"Again?" asked Hilargi, now looking at their child in concern; "What could he possibly be having so many nightmares about? He's not even a year old… Do you think he's picking it up from one of us?"

"Well, you have seemed concerned over the research Xehanort was discussing with you last month," replied Sephiroth. In truth, he was wondering if perhaps his son was having the same nightmares he was. He could not bear to suggest that to Hilargi unless he was certain. He wondered if there was a way to check without Hojo finding out about his infant.

"Well, creatures that can steal people's hearts are a frightening idea," defended Hilargi in a passive tone. "I don't think that's it though…I'm not that worried over it and he started this before I became involved in the research…"

Sephiroth nodded, "Why don't you let me take him tomorrow? He seems calmer with me."

"You'd have to give an excuse for why you have my son," said Hilargi, sounding slightly remorseful. "We can't have Hojo suspecting anything…"

"I don't need to be reminded," Sephiroth replied quietly. "I'll just tell everyone I'm giving my dear friend a day off since she's been bogged down with research. They all know that Zachary and I are quite taken with him anyway."

"Alright then," Hilargi agreed with a nod as Sephiroth placed a gentle kiss on Riku's head before offering a soft smile to the child. He always treated the infant as if he was something delicate.

"Well, at least _you _never have to worry about those Heartless Xehanort has been studying," Hilargi commented with a warm smile.

Sephiroth turned to her, wondering what the odds were that would bring up the thought of him losing his heart now by coincidence. "Why do you say that?"

The claret-haired woman's smile deepened as she glanced at Riku, "Because I think that little one has already stolen it…and he doesn't let go of anything without a fight."

Sephiroth pondered this as Hilargi kissed him gently and then quietly left the room, "Don't you boys stay up too late."

Riku sighed as he closed his eyes, still gripping both his plushie and his father's shirt as if for dear life. A small smile touched Sephiroth's face.

Perhaps he did not have to worry about his heart after all.


	161. Memories

_Prompt: Memories_

_Given by: Heart-Of-Memories_

_Setting: Radiant garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing Leon/Riku_

* * *

Leon wondered why he suddenly found himself remembering her.

The memories had started coming back to him at random two days before, when he felt a subtle shifting of his mattress that suggested another, slightly smaller body had climbed into the bed. Oddly enough, he found himself wondering if Ellone had known every time he or one of the others had climbed into her bed after a nightmare and then snuck back into their own at dawn.

The scarred man pushed the stray thought from his half-slumbering mind as he turned over to pull the warm body closer. He quickly forced himself into complete consciousness when he realised that the svelte form in his arms was far _too _warm and yet was shivering as if freezing. Looking down, even in the moonlight, he could see that the teal-eyed adolescent was pale, drawn, and only half-aware of his surroundings. Leon vaguely wondered if he should feel as worried as he was, but Riku had never been seriously ill before, as far as he knew.

When Leon called Zack and Zell and asked them to cover for him the next day, Ellone entered his thoughts again. He knew she would be proud of him for knowing what was truly important and not hesitating on his decision. He had not even needed to think about it; Riku was far more important than anything he would be doing for the reconstruction project. He had made mistakes in the past; he would not make them again. Leon would never give the kid any reason to question whether or not he loved him.

As Riku's fever rose even higher, Leon retrieved a washcloth and a bowl of water and then returned to the boy's side. He remembered Ellone once explaining to him why it was important to use warm water instead of cold when he had clearly looked confused about this as a small child. He would have thought to use cold if she had never bothered to elucidate. The Gunblade wielder even found himself telling the barely-conscious boy about the one he used to call 'Sis' while he held the moist cloth to the adolescent's burning forehead.

When he discovered Riku could not take any food, Leon remembered a special type of tea Ellone used to make for the other kids when they were ill. She said she had learned the recipe from the matron herself. He kissed the silver-haired boy's head before grabbing his jacket and going to the store to buy the needed herbs. Ellone had taught him how to make the tea herself, stating it was important to keep such things in the family. He made a mental note to teach Riku how to make it when the teenager was well.

After the steel-eyed man was able to get Riku to drink most of a cup of tea, the teal-eyed boy murmured something about the woman who stayed with him while Leon was gone, even though no one had been there. The silvered adolescent tended to notice people by scents and feelings instead of physical appearances, but his vague description still reminded Leon of Ellone. The Gunblade wielder wasn't sure whether he should feel afraid, shocked, or simply write it off as a result of him telling the boy about 'Sis' and then the child's fevered mind playing tricks on him.

Leon stayed awake late into the evening, simply watching the ill boy and hoping for some sign of improvement. As he did this, the steel-eyed man recalled the only time he had ever awoken in a hospital. That was after he had received the notable scar on his visage. Ellone had been sitting near the end of his bed calmly, simply watching him as though she too, had been merely waiting for a sign that he was all right. Ellone had never commented on how long she had stayed with him that night, but he suspected she had been there the entire evening.

The following day passed much the same, with Leon caring for Riku and constantly being reminded of Ellone as he did so. In the early evening, Leon released a sigh of relief when the boy's fever finally broke. He could imagine the supportive smile Sis would have given him if she had truly been there, and how she would have teased him afterwards for how far he had fallen for the boy. His thought left Ellone and returned to Riku as the adolescent became aware of his surroundings once again and began to hold weary, but sensible conversation.

Riku did not remember having asked Leon about anyone, which came as no surprise to the scarred man after how ill the boy had been. What did surprise Leon was that Riku thought there had been a woman with Squall when he woke up. Again, the teal-eyed boy's vague descriptions of scents and feelings were reminiscent of Ellone, even though Riku could not recall Leon telling him about Sis. When Riku asked about her, Leon smiled as he settled on the bed beside the silver-haired boy, and decided to tell the teenager about her all over again for reasons he could not explain.

Leon kept his memories of Ellone after that, but they did not come to him sporadically as they had over those two days once Riku's health returned. He briefly wondered if perhaps Ellone had actually been there somehow, not wanting him to be alone again and leaving once she saw he was not, but that thought did not linger.

Leon had long ago decided that the present was more important than the past, but he was still glad he had not been able to erase the memories of it.


	162. Tootsie Pop

_Prompt: Tootsie Pop_

_Given by: ChibiFrubaGirl_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Leon/Riku, Zack/Aerith_

* * *

Zell walked over to the Bailey, where Leon and Zack were standing. Both men appeared completely fixated on something on the terrace that led to the Borough.

"Hey guys, what are you doing?" asked the tattooed man as he glanced in the direction his friends were staring.

Yuffie, Sora, and Riku were all on the terrace. Riku was sitting on the wall and drawing in his sketchbook with a lollipop stick protruding from his mouth, while Sora was standing and moving one arm animatedly while the other held another lollipop stick in his own, and Yuffie was sitting against the wall, holding a lollipop in one hand and nursing her jaw with the other.

"They're having a Tootsie Pop contest," replied Zack.

"A what?" questioned the blonde man.

"They're seeing who can expose the centre of the Tootsie Pop first by sucking away the lollipop part," explained the violet-eyed man.

"Okay…why isn't Yuffie eating hers then?" asked Zell.

"Because she tried to cheat by biting it and nearly broke her teeth out," replied the raven-hared man.

The blonde man nodded. "Ah, and you two are watching them because…?"

"Not them," Leon spoke for the first time, his voice a little tight, "Just him."

Zell followed the steel-eyed man's gaze to Riku. "Why- _Oh_…"

While the teal-eyed boy had his sketchbook in one hand and a pencil in the other, the lollipop stick between his lips was twirling even faster than Sora's…without the use of his fingers. Occasionally, the stick would languidly roll from one side of his mouth to the other, still twirling the entire time. Every now and then, the bulge of the convection could be seen pushing on the inside of his cheek. The breeze was toying with the boy's silver locks just as he toyed with the confection in his mouth.

The teen seemed completely unaware of the effects the motions his tongue was directing the candy into was having on the men watching…actually, he did not even appear to know they were watching. His eyes remained on the drawing he was working on, occasionally flicking up to look at his best friend, who was still trying to talk while eating his own candy.

"Mhuat ahr rou dwaring?" asked Sora, his voice muffled by the candy in his mouth. "Aw Mn…" he muttered as a rather disturbing amount of pink-dyed saliva dripped from his mouth when he attempted to speak.

"Real smooth, Sora," Riku remarked, "I'm drawing the square below us."

"O lacs coow," replied the spiky-haired boy.

Zell and Zack turned to one another, "How the hell did he speak that clearly with a sucker in his mouth?" asked the tattooed man.

"I have no idea," replied the former SOLDIER before both turned their gazes to their silent friend.

Zell smirked at Leon, "You suck, man."

"Actually, it appears that he's the one who's going to _be _sucked in this relationship," corrected Zack as he glanced back at the teenagers. "Way to go, Stone-cold."

Steel blue flicked toward the other two men in a brief glare before returning to the silver-haired boy. "…Don't talk about him like that."

"Oh, like you aren't thinking it," replied the raven-haired man.

"Yeah, your pants weren't that tight earlier today Squall," commented Zell.

"Although, I really can't say I blame you," said Zack as he glanced back at the teal-eyed boy.

"Done," Riku said as he pulled the stick out of his mouth and held it out for Sora and Yuffie to see. The entire lollipop had been licked away from the Tootsie centre without a trace, save for the slightly red tinge on the boy's lips.

"Your lips are red towards the inside," Sora commented as he removed his own unfinished candy from his mouth. "It looks like your mouth is bleeding…or you're wearing lipstick…"

Yuffie chuckled, "I told you it was better to go with the pink ones. They show less…hey, stick out your tongue."

Both Yuffie and Sora laughed when the silver-haired teen exposed his now red tinted tongue.

"Actually, it's not that bad," commented Sora.

Riku chuckled and placed the Toostie part of the convection along with the stick back his mouth. He languorously rolled it to one side as he returned his gaze to his drawing.

...And that appeared to be the final straw for Leon. The man began walking toward the teen at a purposeful pace.

Riku smiled and removed the candy from his mouth as the scarred man approached. "Hey, when did you finish up- Is something going on?"

Instead of answering, Leon stepped between the boy's knees and pulled the teen into a more a passionate kiss than he normally did in front of others. The boy's teal eyes widened in surprise for a second before slipping closed as he melted in the man's arms.

When the kiss ended, Leon gazed into the boy's eyes for a few seconds before pulling him off the wall and leading him toward their house.

"What was _that _about?" asked Sora, looking surprised. "They never do that sort of thing in front of people…let alone in public…"

"I don't know, but _damn _that was hot," replied Yuffie. "Why didn't I bring a camera today?"

Meanwhile Zack turned from Zell's side, "Yeah…I'm going to go find Aerith…"

Zell watched as both of his friends walked away purposefully, one leading his young lover home, the other off to find his girlfriend.

"Man, I need to get a girl…" The Tattooed man shook his head as he headed home.


	163. Androgynous

_Prompt: Androgynous_

_Given by: ChibiFrubaGirl_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: (strong) Leon/Riku

* * *

_

Leon rolled onto his side, still holding Riku against his chest as their breathing evened out and their heart rates slowed. Once the boy's soft pants had calmed and he turned in his boyfreind's arms, the scarred man brushed some of his slightly sweaty bangs from his elegant face.

"Are you alright?" asked Leon quietly.

"Yeah," Riku answered with a nod as he nestled against the man.

The sable-haired man wrapped his arms around the teen. "You're sure?"

"Yes; I'm a little sore but I think that's normal, right?" replied the teal-eyed boy. Then he gently kissed Leon's neck. "You were really wonderful about it…th-"

"You don't have to thank me," Leon interrupted with a small chuckle. "I was actually worried about hurting you…"

"Because it was my first time or because I'm a boy?" questioned the silver-haired teen, sounding content and a little sleepy.

"Both," answered the Gunblade wielder as he shifted onto his back, still holding the boy against him.

Leon thought of his concerns beforehand, on whether it would be too different with the boy. Then of how Riku always leaned into his touches and melted into his kisses…The way he let Leon take control with perfect trust and love… "First times are more important than most think, and I've never been with a male before…or someone so young…"

Riku nuzzled the man's neck. "Don't start on that again, Squall…please…"

The steel-eyed man brushed the boy's hair back again, and glanced down as Riku settled his head on his chest. "I won't…don't worry."

A small smile settled on Riku's supple lips. Leon traced the boy's fine jaw line with his fingers, then his delicate cheekbones and fine nose. Riku's eyes fluttered closed and his long lashes brushed against his fair skin. His gossamer hair spilled out over Leon's chest and onto the sheet beneath them.

"You're so beautiful," Leon said quietly. As the teen flushed slightly but did not lose that soft smile, he noted that the boy was actually more beautiful than most of the women he had known.

Sometimes Leon wondered if he would be able to be with Riku like this were the boy not so androgynous. He hated the thought, for he loved Riku, but he had never been so deeply attracted to any male before.

"What are you thinking about?" Riku asked, sounding slightly worried.

The steel-eyed man stroked the teen's silver hair once again. "Honestly, I'm thinking about what it is about you that intrigued me to begin with."

"I haven't been able to figure that one out either," murmured the adolescent.

"What attracted you to me?" questioned Leon with just the tip of his lips turning up slightly.

"No, that one's easy. You're amazing," answered Riku. "I mean what about me caught your interest. You aren't even bi…well, not normally, I'm still not sure how that works…"

"No one does." Leon smiled. "Well, you're more impressive than you think and…you're just special."

"You were going to comment on me being a bishie, weren't you?" asked Riku in a dry tone.

"Not quite…" Leon tried to hide a chuckle, but found that was rather difficult with the boy's head on his chest. "Sorry."

"That's okay," Riku said as he nestled against the man further. "You know, both Cid and Zell said that they weren't sure if I was a boy or a girl the first time they met me until I spoke…and Reno actually hit on me because he thought I was a girl until I summoned a Dark Shield and told him to back off…"

"Are you serious?" asked the scarred man, wondering how comfortable it could be for the teen to use his chest as a pillow when it was shaking with suppressed mirth as it was. "Reno actually hit on you? If you didn't beat me to it, I would definitely have to kick his ass for that." Leon kissed the top of the adolescent's head. "Does any of that bother you?"

Riku chuckled as well, "Not really. I mean, it used to, but I'm okay with it now. I probably wouldn't be here with you if I wasn't, and it's not like I can't beat any of the other guys here in a fight, so why should I care if I get mistaken for a girl once in a while?"

Leon stopped laughing and lifted the boy's chin so that they were looking at one another. "You'd be here with me whether you were beautiful or not." The Gunblade wielder smiled as he realised the truth of these words even as he said them.

Riku smiled in return before leaning up to press his lips against Leon's rougher ones. Then he snuggled against him once more, this time seeming more peaceful than ever before.

Leon smirked as he pulled the blankets over their intertwined forms. "You do know I'm going to have to tell Zell so we can torment Reno about that, right?" He asked after a moment.

"Of course," replied Riku calmly before pressing a kiss against Leon's chest. "You definitely have to."

The scarred man's smirk melted into a smile. He stroked the now slumbering boy's hair and whispered, "I love you," before falling asleep himself.


	164. Uke

_Prompt: Uke_

_Given by: ChibiFrubaGirl_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Leon/Riku, Sora/Penelo_

* * *

Riku and Sora were working together, clearing out some debris, while Sora visited from the islands. He spiky-haired teen had decided to take this opportunity to fill the silver-haired boy in on everything that he had missed with their freinds back home.

"So then, Selphie got all annoyed because she said it figures she finally had, not only a real life bishie, but an uke around as well, and then, you moved," Sora explained. "So that's how it came around to you…and then Tidus got all grossed out like he does whenever anyone mentions it, which is really beginning to piss off the girls, so of course, now they constantly ask if I've heard from you and how things are going between you and Leon in front of him…"

"…And what do you do?" asked Riku offhandedly.

"I tell them anything I've heard…" The spiky-haired teen smirked, "With a few embellishments. Tidus' attitude about it is starting to bug me too. He's nothing compared to Vaan though…"

Riku smiled slightly at his friend's answer, but it soon faded as he continued working in silence.

"Wakka doesn't get grossed out about the gay thing like Tidus does," the cerulean-eyed boy continued, "but he has issues with the age difference. I've tried to get him to see that Leon isn't, like, this old pervert who's taking advantage or anything, but I dunno…he's just weird about it…I never noticed that he was kind of protective of all of us before…like he's got a big brother thing going on."

Sora looked thoughtful for a moment, "Kairi says we didn't notice because you usually took over that role when it cam to the two of us. So he mainly took care of Tidus and Selphie while you looked after us… and of course Penelo's brother looked after her…did I tell you that she finally beat him in a spar?"

"Mm-Hm," replied the cyan-eyed boy as he threw a shovelful of crushed concrete in the bin behind them.

"Oh, yeah…" Sora glanced at his friend and then bit his lip as though deciding on something.

"What is it, Sora?" asked Riku patiently.

"Well, just…talking about all of this has sort of got me wondering about a few things," said Sora, looking perplexed. "I haven't really had a chance to ask you about any of it before."

"Ask me about what?" questioned the cyan-eyed adolescent.

"Well…when did you decide all of this?" asked Sora as he picked at the handle of his shovel, his eyes glancing at his friend.

"When did- Wait. You mean the whole gay-bishie-uke thing?" said Riku as he stopped shovelling and looked at his friend.

"Yeah," answered the brunette with a nod.

"I didn't _decide _any of it," replied Riku, sounding torn between amusement and annoyance. "I just discovered it over time. Did you decide to be bi and did Kairi decide to be straight? It's just…how I am…"

"Oh…Well that's alright," said Sora.

"Gee, thanks for the approval," commented Riku as he returned to removing the debris.

Cerulean eyes widened, "No, Riku…I didn't mean it like that…"

"I know," said the silver-haired teen, "Forget it."

Sora rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean…I don't care…not that I- Ugh, this isn't coming out right. Remember what I said back when you had Ansem's form or whoever…? _You're still Riku no matter what_. That includes all of this. You're right…it's just…you."

"I said not to worry about it," replied the cyan-eyed adolescent.

"Oh…okay," Sora looked around at the area they had been clearing, sneaking obvious glances as his friend all the while.

Riku sighed and straightened. He folded his hands over the top of the shovel's handle and rested his chin on the back of his hands. "At first I thought there was something wrong with me…back on the islands. You, Tidus, Wakka, and all of the other boys our age started noticing girls…you'd blush whenever Kairi touched you, Tidus kept trying to flirt…and I just…didn't feel anything that you guys did. After a while, I realised why."

"…And that's how you figured out you're gay?" Sora tilted his head in thought, "Why didn't you say anything?"

Riku shot his friend an incredulous look before rolling his eyes and answering honestly. "A few reasons…it took me a while to really come to terms with it. The islands aren't…a good place for people like me. There was also my mom…I didn't want to make things any harder for her than they already were…"

"Riku," Sora looked torn. "You still could have told me, you know?"

Riku chuckled once, "Yeah, because you would have been able to keep it a secret all this time."

Sora looked indignant and opened his mouth to retort, but then he appeared to recall something, and he flushed and chuckled nervously. "Yeah…You're probably right."

"I wouldn't have wanted you to have to keep that secret anyway," commented Riku as he returned to working once again.

"Always have to carry your burdens by yourself, don't you?" muttered Sora as he shook his head.

"Not anymore," answered the silver-haired boy, "but then I did."

Sora nodded, and then watched his friend with a curious expression before blushing and redirecting his gaze.

"Okay…I'm probably going to regret this, but now what do you want to know?" questioned the cyan-eyed teen.

"Well, according to the girls, the bishie thing is like you described being gay…it's just how you are," answered Sora. "And I know that just came with puberty."

One silver eyebrow rose as Riku paused in his actions and glanced at his friend, "So you noticed that too?"

Sora snorted, "Who couldn't? I mean, look at you."

Riku shook his head as he returned to work yet again, "I really wish I saw what you guys do when you see me…"

"Well, it's not just how you look," offered Sora in a consoling tone, "If that makes you feel any better."

"Leon says that too, and it does make me feel better," replied the cyan-eyed teen with a content expression. "I still don't know what it is about me…" The silver haired boy shook his head again and returned to removing the debris.

Sora smiled and nodded at his friend. Then, his expression turned anxious again, and he blushed as he rubbed the back of his neck. "_So_…that's the gay-bishie part…"

Riku paused and blinked, then slowly turned to his friend. "_Oh_…Is _that _where you were going with this?"

Sora shrugged, "It's just…well, something I've sort of wondered about…"

Now Riku flushed slightly and he lowered his eyes as he turned his face away. "So…what do you want to know exactly?"

"Well," Sora tittered and then glanced at his friend. "When did you…you know, figure out that you're an uke?"

Riku bit his lip and smiled slightly, "The first time Leon laid his hands on me."

Sora rubbed the back of his neck again as he nodded, "So…you're like the girl of the relationship then?"

Silver hair spun out as Riku quickly turned his head toward his friend, cyan eyes narrowed in an icy glare that could have intimidated gods…

Sora held up his hands defensively right away, "That isn't how I meant it…sorry. That just…came out wrong. It's not like I see Penelo as below me or weak or anything either…I mean…You're…"

"I'm the submissive partner as far as the physical aspects of our relationship go," Riku stated levelly. "That's what an uke is, Sora."

Sora's face was completely red as he asked his next question. "That means you're on the receiving end, right?"

"Yes, Sora," answered the silver-haired boy flatly.

"Oh…well, that makes more sense then," commented the spiky-haired boy. "You and submissive have never really gone hand-in-hand all that well, but _that _I could see…I mean, not like Selphie or anything, but…you know…right?"

"I hope so…" replied the cyan-eyed adolescent.

After a brief pause wherein both boys looked rather thoughtful, Riku turned and continued shovelling debris in silence.

After a moment, Sora cleared his throat. "You like being Leon's…er, bishie-uke, though, right? I mean, you seem really happy with him."

Riku smiled and glanced at his friend, his eyes saying more than he could, although he answered anyway. "Yes, I am. Why do you think I don't mind the whole gay-bishie-uke thing? If it means I'm with him, then it cannot be bad…You're happy with Penelo too, right?"

Sora's smile threatened to split his face, "Oh yeah…couldn't be happier."

The silver-haired boy nodded, still smiling slightly, "Good. I'm glad you're happy."

"I'm glad you're happy too," answered Sora.

"Now, are you going to leave all the work to me as always, or do you feel like shovelling some of this too?" asked Riku as he returned to work. "Remember, I'm only submissive when it comes to Leon…"

Sora chuckled and picked up his shovel. "Yeah…Penelo's been bugging me about the lazy-bum thing lately too…"

"I knew she would be good for you," commented Riku teasingly, but his eyes hinted at more truth than his tone suggested.

Sora continued smiling as he began working as well, "I think Leon's good for you too."

"Still a total sap," Riku said with a shake of his head, but he looked pleased as well.

Sora turned to his friend smugly, "At least I'm not the girl of my relationship…"

When Leon and Zell came to tell the boys that everyone was stopping for the day, they found Sora fleeing from Riku as though for dear life while the silvered adolescent chased him over the rubble and debris.

"Do you think we want to know what led to this?" asked the tattooed man as Sora threw a piece of concrete at Riku, which the cyan-eyed boy blocked with dark shield as he continued to pursue his friend.

"Knowing these two, probably not," answered the scarred man as he smiled slightly while watching the two teenagers.

When Sora summoned his Keyblade, the steel-eyed man started moving forward, "Okay, now it's time to intervene…"

Zell chuckled, "Yeah, wouldn't want your boy-toy getting hurt when you finally got a chance to play with him…"

Zack did not ask any questions when he arrived twenty minutes later to find Sora and Riku sitting on slabs of cement while watching Zell fend off Leon as Sora cheered on the blonde and Riku encouraged his older lover.

Instead, the violet-eyed man decided to sit down with the two adolescents and run a commentary.

No one said anything when all five arrived back in town looking dishevelled but happy.


	165. Headphones

_Prompt: Head Phones_

_Given by: TigerLilyLady_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Leon/Riku, Sora/?, Kairi/?_

* * *

Zell stopped as he and Leon were passing Riku's room when he heard the teen's soft voice trailing out. "Who's he talking to?"

Leon paused to listen, "Oh…Riku rigged those Gummi radios Cid gave him to work across the worlds. He's probably talking to Sora again."

"Did you catch what he's talking about?" asked the tattooed man with a surprised expression.

Leon raised an eyebrow questioningly and steeped towards the partly open door.

Through the opening, both men could see the silver-haired boy sitting at his desk, idly finishing some homework while wearing a pair of headphones that were plugged into the Gummi radio. There was a small microphone sitting next to it.

Zell smirked as he stepped beside the scarred man and whispered, "You do realise we're spying on your sixteen year old lover, right?"

Leon shot him an irritated look, before quietly responding; "You looked concerned. Once I see it's nothing to worry about, we're leaving."

Riku stopped writing and seemed to focus solely on the voice coming through the headphones. "…Well, I'm glad you talked it over and all, but just because you decided you both want to and got prepared doesn't mean you have to…"

Leon and Zell glanced at one another. The boy sounded a little nervous about the current discussion.

"I'm not saying that…" Riku sighed. "Just, don't think about it so much. No…enjoy your evening, just plan on having a good time and see what happens naturally…I just don't think you should push it…"

"Is he talking about what I think he is?" whispered the blonde man.

"I think so," replied the steel-eyed man.

Riku lowered his already-downcast head slightly, "Er…I actually was going to try it sooner, mainly because I felt bad about making Squall wait, but he could tell I wasn't ready and he refused to do anything until I was…Yeah, he's good about that…"

Zell smirked at Leon again, "The kid's making you wait, huh?"

A steel blue glare was all he received in form of response.

"Well there is some stuff in-between, you know," the boy said. "I mean more than kissing, less than having sex… Yeah, but Squall seemed satisfied until I was ready. ...I know; he's great…"

Leon smiled slightly. Zell shook his head, "Man, you _both _have it bad…"

"Hey, I understand pressure and feeling bad, but if he isn't willing to wait, then he isn't worth bothering over," stated Riku firmly. "…And if he does anything you don't like; I'm there in a heartbeat…just say the word." The boy chuckled, "Yeah, I guess Squall has been a good influence…"

The two men shared another glance. Zell mouthed the word _he_ questioningly. Leon shook his head to indicate he did not know any more than his friend did.

Riku chuckled again, "If you think this is bad, you should have heard the conversation I had with Sora a couple months ago…Yeah, I didn't really know to say to him, I mean, it's not like I had much experience then and I don't know _anything _about being with a girl, so I ended up putting Zack on. That was pretty entertaining…and informative, actually…"

Both men looked at one another yet again. "Kairi," Leon whispered, "Their other friend."

"Ah," Zell nodded, "After the lollipop incident, I bet he could help her keep whoever the guy is as satisfied as you were until she's ready…"

Leon glared at his friend again as he pulled away from the door. "I don't think they would appreciate us listening in on this conversation."

"Yeah, _girls_," said Zell with a roll of his eyes. "Will you stop glaring at me?" he stated when his friend did indeed glare at him again.

"Will you stop harassing me about Riku?" asked Leon dryly.

Zell snorted, "Of course not."

"Then, no," said Leon with a half-hearted glare.

The blonde man looked thoughtful, "You know...I'm actually not surprised Sora wasn't the last of their group to get that serious with someone."

"Actually," Leon looked thoughtful as well. "If he did it after their conversation a couple months ago and Kairi is just now considering it, then he was the first of the three of them."

"Really...?" Zell looked interested. "So the kid _did _you keep waiting for a while."

"As you just heard, I was content to wait," replied the Gunblade wielder.

"I bet," said the tattooed man. "Yuffie brought some Jumbo Blow Pops to the house we were all working on the other day…I think Riku turned most of the men there bi. The sad thing is, he totally had no clue…him and Yuffie were just eating their candy and talking about nothing while painting the wall. You really better watch that one."

"I intend to," answered Leon with a small smile.

"Oh by the way," said Zell on his way out of the house. "That ring you wanted should be ready tomorrow. It looks just like yours, only a lot smaller, so a few of the details don't stand out quite as well."

"That's fine," said Leon, his smile had grown notably. "I think he'll like it anyway."

"I'm sure he will," replied the blonde man. "Er…I feel weird saying this, but you definitely picked a winner, Squall. I'm happy for you."

Leon just stared at his friend for a moment. "…Thanks."

Zell chuckled and shook his head, "Now, we need to find me a girlfriend…"

"You and Quistis have always gotten along well," commented the sable-haired man indifferently, "And Yuffie seems to like you."

Zell arched an eyebrow, "Yeah…that kid is definitely good for you. See you later."

Leon nodded and closed the door before offering a smile in the direction of Riku's room and heading to the kitchen, where he had left some blueprints he needed to go over before the next day.

After flicking on the radio and sitting down to work, Leon glanced in the direction of his young lover's room once again. It certainly seemed as though life was moving on.

…And he was surprised to find that he was quite happy with the direction it had taken.


	166. Cheese Grater

_Prompt: Cheese Grater_

_Given by: TigerLilyLady_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Leon/Riku, Zack/Aerith, Sora/Penelo, Tifa/Rude, Cid/Shera_

* * *

Zack and Aerith arrived home after a dinner date, and were greeted by the sounds of a small commotion coming from their kitchen.

The green-eyed woman stopped her boyfriend from drawing his buster sword by placing a hand on his arm. "It's alright Zack; it's just Sora and Riku. Sora wanted to try his mother's zucchini bread recipe."

The raven-haired man arched an eyebrow. "Why aren't they over at Leon's house?"

Aerith smiled, "Leon didn't seem very keen on having Sora in his kitchen, but he felt bad about refusing Riku, so I volunteered our kitchen to simplify the matter."

"You're too nice sometimes," said Zack with a smile. "You know that kid is completely incompetent in a kitchen, right?"

"I suspected as much by Leon's reaction," said Aerith, smile still in place, "But Riku is more than competent in a kitchen and he's also quite skilled at watching and assisting Sora. They'll be fine."

Zack nodded and the couple headed toward the kitchen.

"So Riku- _Ack_!" Sora jumped when he caught sight of Zack entering the room in his peripheral vision. "Don't sneak up like that!"

"I was walking across my sitting room calmly," stated Zack in an amused tone. Riku and Aerith were both smiling slightly. "We even talked before we came in here."

"Aw, man," whined Sora as he held up his right hand; several fingers were bleeding. "I was really doing well this time too…"

"How did you hurt yourself with a cheese grater?" asked Riku as he crossed the room to approach his friend.

"I sort of…grated my fingers," replied the spiky-haired boy with a glare at the grater, as though it were the offending item's fault.

Riku caught his wrist as he headed toward the door; "Where are you going?"

"To get a bandage," answered the cerulean-eyed boy irritably.

One silver eyebrow arched before Riku's hand was engulfed in light, which disappeared and then reappeared over Sora's hand as it healed it.

"Shouldn't you be used to that by now?" asked the silver-haired adolescent as he released the other boy's wrist.

Aerith chuckled as Sora rubbed his neck in embarrassment. "I have to do the same thing for Zack all the time…he completely forgets about healing spells and potions."

"I've had to heal Leon a couple times," commented the cyan-eyed teenager, "But that's mainly because he either won't stop to heal himself or just failed to notice a minor injury."

Aerith nodded, "A lot of the men here have that last problem. I don't know how they managed on their own while we were all separated. Tifa and Yuffie have no problem jumping into a fight either, but they at least take care of themselves afterwards."

"Tifa's been better about that since she took in Denzel and then got together with Rude," remarked Zack. "And you have to admit that I'm not as bad as some of the others."

"That's true," commented Aerith as she placed a finger to her chin thoughtfully. "You know, Leon's been better since Riku entered the picture too…and Shera does a decent job of keeping Cid in check."

"So basically, we just need to get all the others a good woman, and your job will be a lot easier?" asked Zack, then he quickly glanced at Riku, "Or boy, in Leon's case…"

"Thank you," commented the silver-haired teen as he turned to finish measuring some ingredients, which appeared to be what he was doing when the couple entered.

"What about you?" asked Aerith as she turned to Sora. "Think Penelo knows what she's getting herself into?"

The spiky-haired teen smiled, "Oh yeah, she knows what a pain I can be. If the Keyblade calls again, I'm gonna need Riku and Mickey to first stop by the islands and convince her to let me go without her…I think the only reason she trust me here alone is because she knows Riku watches over me."

Zack glanced at the cyan-eyed boy, who shrugged slightly without stopping in his work. "Always have, always will…that's just our friendship…"

The violet-eyed man nodded, "I get you. I still feel the need to look after Cloud sometimes…and your dad was always watching out for me…well until all the Jenova crap started anyway."

Riku nodded his understanding, but said nothing further on the matter. Zack continued to watch the boy for a moment before Aerith drew his attention again.

"Well, I'm going to call it a night," said the green-eyed woman. "Don't stay up too late, and don't forget to clean up in here. Goodnight."

She gave Zack a kiss, placed a hand on Riku's shoulder, and then ruffled Sora's unruly hair before leaving the room and disappearing down the hall.

Zack glanced around the room, "So you kids want a hand in here? I can grate vegetables without injuring myself…"

Sora threw the man a half-hearted glare as he crossed his arms. "Fine," he muttered after a moment. Then, he turned to Riku, "So what can I do?"

"Want to try setting up the pans?" asked the silver-haired adolescent gently, as though speaking to a small child. "Do you remember how I showed you to do that last time?"

"Yeah, I can try that again," said Sora as he turned to the pans, which had some shortening and parchment paper already laid out beside them.

Zack arched an eyebrow and began gratin the zucchini. "You'll _try that again…_? Do I want to know how you managed to get that wrong last time?"

"No," answered both teenagers simply and without any hesitation.

Zack nodded and all three continued with their tasks without any further questions.


	167. Oil

_Prompt: Oil_

_Given by: TigerLilyLady_

_Setting; Destiny Islands; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Sora/Penelo_

* * *

Sora barged into the bedroom Riku used at his current foster home, a look of worry on his face. "Riku, What happened?!"

The silver haired boy had jumped from his seat and assumed a defensive position when the door burst open, and now he straightened and quirked an eyebrow at his best friend; "What are you taking about, Sora? What's wrong?"

"Don't try to play cool, Riku; this is serious," demanded the spiky-haired teen, looking quite fierce.

"I believe you," replied the cyan-eyed adolescent. "I just don't know what you're referring to with that question."

Sora crossed his arms and gave his friend a once over. He noticed that the other boy's left hand was bandaged and his clothes had changed from when they saw each other that morning. Riku was also thinner than he had been when they returned to the islands, and the flesh around his eyes was dark. "You changed your clothes from earlier…why?"

Riku looked even more confused and slightly self-conscious at his friend's actions. "Because the clothes I was wearing before got messed up. Now, what are you getting at, Sora? And stop looking me over; you're freaking me out…"

"_I'm _freaking _you _out?" Sora repeated incredulously. "I stopped by on my way to Penelo's to see how you were doing, since you've been…well, _down _would be putting it lightly; and I asked Mr. Seagill if I could use his restroom. I used the one by your room and your clothes are soaking in the sink…there's so much blood on them that the water's red. So what happened?"

Cyan eyes blinked in confusion, and then Riku smiled slightly, "That isn't blood Sora…"

"The hell it isn't," snapped the spiky-haired teen. "What happened to your hand?"

"It is not blood, Sora." Riku raised the injured hand to point at something behind Sora. "I've been working on an oil painting. I accidentally squeezed one of the jars of paint too tightly earlier and it broke. I cut my hand and my clothes were covered in red paint."

Sora turned to look behind him. Sure enough, on an easel beside the window was a freshly completed oil painting depicting an abandoned city at dawn, with several shades of red used, including the blood-red colour Sora had seen on his friend's clothes. "Oh…" Sora turned back to Riku with a blank expression.

The silver-haired teen rolled his eyes and moved to sit on the bed again, "Shouldn't you be going? That tournament you're taking Penelo to starts soon."

Sora continued to stare at his best friend with a blank expression that slowly turned to concern again and finally settled on despondency.

"The way it works is, you have to go to the tournament; it doesn't come to you," said Riku as he turned to look at hi friend with a small smirk, which faded along with whatever else he had been about to say when saw the expression on his friend's face. "What wrong now?"

"You're not okay here," said the brunette sadly.

The cyan-eyed boy sighed, "There isn't anywhere else for me to go, Sora. Besides, Mr. and Mrs. Seagill aren't that bad…" His eyes trailed around the near-empty bedroom slowly as he spoke. The adolescent had clearly put no effort into making the room feel like home.

"I don't just mean _here_," stated Sora dejectedly. "You aren't…you don't smile like you used to, you never laugh anymore, you're hardly eating, you keep your head down and your eyes hidden at all times -even now-, and you hardly ever do anything fun. You just go to school, visit your mom's grave, sit by the Paopu tree, stay at my house for a few hours sometimes, and then stay in here…in this blank room, all by yourself…"

The cerulean-eyed boy sighed as well, "You aren't okay, Riku. Everyone's been saying how much you've changed, that it's like you just don't belong here anymore, and I didn't want to believe it, but they're right…"

"What are you saying?" asked Riku softly.

"We'll be friends no matter what, right?" Sora stated more than questioned.

"Of course," answered the silver-haired boy.

"And our hearts will always be connected," added the spiky-haired teen.

"Always," assured Riku quietly, looking slightly nervous and confused.

"Then I think…" Sora hesitated before taking a deep breath. "I don't want you to stay somewhere where you're never going to be happy and are always going to hurt. I know your options are limited because of everything the worlds don't know…but there _are _a couple worlds that know about us."

Cyan searched cerulean for a moment before Riku responded, "You…You're okay with me leaving the islands? You actually _want _me to…?"

"It's not that I want you gone or anything, but I want you to be okay, and I don't think you can here," answered Sora. "At Disney Castle or Radiant Garden, you might be able to. I know Mickey or Leon would…well, not take care of you, but…they wouldn't let you give up either, just like I won't."

Riku nodded and swallowed hard before glancing away again, "Now you really better go…you're going to miss your date…"

"Penelo will understand," replied Sora. He hesitated a minute before asking, "You've only stayed this long because of me, haven't you?"

Riku shrugged, "You're the only family I have left…and you…really wanted everything to be the way it was. I tried to return to that, Sora…but I just cannot. I've changed too much, and I miss her too much."

The cerulean-eyed boy nodded, "I know…I'm sorry Riku; I should have noticed sooner."

The silver-haired teen shook his head, "It isn't your fault, Sora…I don't think it's anyone's fault. It just worked out this way."

Sora swallowed as well and licked his lips as he nodded. "I'm going to let Penelo know the plan has changed…why don't you come to my house in half an hour and stay for the night? We can figure out what to do…how to-"

"I'm still legally dead here," said Riku quietly. "They don't know about other worlds. The only hard part will be actually leaving…"

Sora nodded again, understanding the multiple meanings his friend's last statement held. "I'll see you in half an hour then…?"

Riku nodded, "Yeah…I'll be there. Thank you, Sora." He added the last part as his friend headed toward the door.

"Anytime Riku," the brunette answered thickly as he left the room.

Only then did both boys allow their tears to fall.


	168. Indescribable

_Prompt: Indescribable_

_Given by: BRSCheerleading_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Leon/Riku, Tifa/Rude, Zack/Aerith_

* * *

"They're aquamarine!" Leon heard Yuffie state enthusiastically as he approached the table the hyperactive ninja was sitting at along with Tifa, Rude, Aerith, and Zack.

"Isn't that the same as aqua?" asked Zack with a raised eyebrow.

"I still say they're teal," said Tifa. "I don't think they have quite enough blue to be aqua."

"Teal doesn't sound bright enough," remarked Aerith, "I would call them turquoise."

"Teal is brighter than turquoise, though…isn't it?" asked Yuffie, looking confused.

"Not if Aerith says it isn't," replied Zack as he slid an arm around the green-eyed woman's shoulders.

"What do you think?" Tifa asked Rude as she lifted her head from his shoulder to look at him.

"I would call them cyan," replied the Turk simply.

"I don't even know what cyan looks like," stated Zack with a smirk.

"What are you arguing about?" asked Leon, causing a few of the others to jump.

"When did you get here?" asked Yuffie.

"Since you declared aquamarine," answered the scarred man. "You know you are all basically agreeing on the colour, it's just a fine difference in shade that you're all going on about…"

"That's because the shade makes a difference," stated Aerith.

"And that difference is what started this whole debate," added Tifa. "We all can't seem to settle on a title."

"I still like aqua," commented Zack, "His dad's were sea-green before the Mako and his mother's were an icy blue, so it sounds appropriate."

Leon turned to the former SOLDIER, "You're all talking about Riku? What exactly are you arguing about?"

"His eyes," answered the raven-haired man. "We agree that they are some shade of bluish-green or greenish-blue, but we can't agree on an exact shade."

"Maybe if he didn't hide his eyes all the time, we'd have less trouble describing them," suggested Tifa.

"I think we still would have trouble with the colour," replied Zack. "They're just one of those fine shades that are hard to label."

"With one word at least," added Leon.

"Yeah, that's what started this," said Tifa. "We were talking about how we would describe everyone here to someone who had never seen them, and we got stuck on Riku's eyes."

"Actually, I'd say we got stuck on Riku in general," commented Aerith. "It took us a moment for his hair as well, and we started with hair and eyes because that would be the simplest way to describe him…"

"Why did you have to pick such an enigma, Leon?" asked Yuffie.

"Do you actually think we wouldn't be having this conversation if Leon weren't with Riku?" asked Tifa.

"Yeah, he'd still be one of us," added Zack.

"Why don't we stick with his eyes for now?" suggested Aerith.

"Isn't that how this started?" questioned the violet-eyed man.

"Hey, you look into his eyes a lot more often than any of us," commented Yuffie as she turned to look at Leon again. "If you had to describe them in one word, what word would you use?"

"Indescribable," replied Leon with a serene smile.

All of the others were silent for a moment.

"That would actually work," Rude commented.

"After this debate, I'd have to agree," replied Zack.

"Yeah, but it's sort of sad that it took the only person who actually sees his eyes often to figure it out," muttered Yuffie.

"Aw, that was cute, Leon," stated Tifa with a smirk.

Aerith nodded, "That was very sweet."

Leon turned and headed toward the door. "…Whatever. I'm going to find Riku…"


	169. Group

_Prompt: Group_

_Given by: BRSCheerleading_

_Setting: Destiny Islands; Post-KHII _

_Pairing: Sora/Penelo; Referenced Leon/Riku_

* * *

Sora and Penelo walked down the unusually busy street arm-in-arm as the sun began to set.

"Wow, you have a long list this year," commented Penelo after Sora had named off all of the people he wanted to purchase a gift or card for this holiday season.

"Yeah, I'm having a hard time keeping it all together in my head," replied the spiky-haired boy.

"Really…? Huh, why don't we organise it then?" suggested the blonde girl. "We can write down everyone you just named and then divide them into groups for large gifts, small gifts, and cards. Then, you can check them off as you buy their presents."

"That could work," said Sora with a grin. "Hey, we should also make a separate group for each world to remind me not to get anything that might be too much of a tip off about the separate worlds…"

The blue-eyed girl nodded, "That's a good idea." After a moment, she bit her lip, "Er…Sora…?"

"Yeah?" the cerulean-eyed boy glanced at her curiously.

"Um, I wanted to at least _acknowledge _Leon, since he's so important to Riku, but I don't actually _know _Leon and I don't want to get him something totally generic," Penelo began uncertainly but quickly regained her usual confidence when Sora did not laugh or make any 'girl' comments. "So I was thinking of giving them a joint gift…any ideas on what they both would like?"

"That's a really good idea," Sora said in an impressed tone. "I should get all the couples joint gifts…I'd be able to get them something nicer by pooling the funds…"

"Yep, and you'll probably save money in the long run too," replied Penelo. "Of course, that only works well for the couples who live together."

The spiky-haired boy nodded; "Yeah, but most of the couples I know on other worlds do live together now…"

"Okay then, we'll have to mark that when we group them all up," stated the blonde girl.

"Now, back onto Riku and Leon's present," remarked Sora with a grin, "Let's see…they both are great fighters and they're both really devoted people. They're also both very good with computers, and they both cook well too…"

"Riku can cook?" asked Penelo.

"Oh yeah, he's as good as my mom," replied Sora with a grin at his girlfriend's surprised expression. "He just doesn't advertise that bit of information…"

"He doesn't advertise anything," commented the blonde, "That's why he's always been the hardest to buy gifts for."

"He isn't hard to buy gifts for," said the cerulean-eyed boy with a slightly confused expression.

"Well not for _you_," stated Penelo with a smile, "But for the rest of us, yeah, he is…"

"Huh, I guess that makes sense," remarked Sora thoughtfully, then he suddenly grinned again. "What about me?"

"Oh, you're one of the easiest to shop for," commented the blue-eyed girl.

"_Really_...?" Sora's grin broadened at the girl's decisive nod. "So does that mean you already know what you're getting me this year?"

Penelo giggled, "Honey, I got your gift last week; it's already wrapped and waiting on the top shelf of my closet until my dad buys our tree this weekend."

Sora blinked in surprise, "Are you serious? Wow…good thing at least one of us is organised and productive…I wouldn't even have thought about who I'm getting gifts for this year if you hadn't asked."

"Well, I still have the rest of our group here, plus Riku and Leon," said Penelo. "Although I already have an idea of what to get everyone here…I just got yours to kick off my holiday shopping. Besides, you said you wanted to shop together and I couldn't very well buy your present with you there."

Sora sighed, "You know…usually Riku would drag me out to get my gifts before the last minute. He and his mom were really good about finishing all of that early. I wish he were around to help me with yours…"

"Well, as much as I'm sure he'd have a better idea of what a girl wants than you," said the blonde in a teasing tone, before continuing in a more genuine manner, "…I'm also sure I'll like whatever you decide on all on your own. You know me…just go with your gut feeling."

The cerulean-eyed boy grinned mischievously as he snaked an arm around the girl's waist. "_Weelll_…I _guess _following my heart has done me well _so_ _far_…"

The blonde raised an eyebrow and grinned as well, "Yeah, I'd say it's done right by you in _certain _aspects…"

Sora's grin bloomed into a smile as he pulled the girl in for a kiss. He would definitely continue to follow his heart in the future.

…But that did not mean he couldn't run girlfriend gift ideas past his best friends before purchasing anything.


	170. Polyglot

_Prompt: Polyglot_

_Given by: BRSCheerleading_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Zack/Aerith; Implied Leon/Riku_

_Author's note: I only have a few more lists left for this story, so unless I get more in, I'm afraid it won't be continuing for much longer. If you are reading this story and have not sent in a prompt list yet, you still can. Or if you have only sent in one list, then you may send in another. Feel free to send them by review or PM. Thank you to everyone who is reading this story. I never expected it to last this long. Riku-Rocks._

* * *

Aerith approached Zack as he was working with Riku, Reno, and Cloud. "So are you planning on stopping for lunch right now, or in another ten minutes?"

Zack smiled at the green-eyed woman. "Well it's hard to choose between so many options, but I think we could all go for a break right now."

"Seriously, Yo," commented Reno as he shifted his goggles from his eyes to his forehead. "I thought you were going to turn into another Leonhart on us. I'm gonna go to that new concession stand…I think the girl who runs it has a thing for me…Spiky, Silver, either of you comin'?"

Both of the other males looked less than pleased about their nicknames as they declined.

"Suit yourselves," said Reno as he left with a small wave to Aerith.

The green-eyed woman waved back before returning her attention to Zack. "Are you coming home for lunch?"

"Of course, I don't care how cute the flirt at the concession stand is," Zack grinned at the irritable yet amused expression on Aerith's face before turning to Riku and Cloud; "Either of you coming with?"

Neither of the addressed males said anything nor moved very much, but Aerith could detect slight shifts in their demeanours. However, before she could ask if she was missing something, Zack spoke again.

"Ah, who am I kidding?" asked the raven haired-man before he shifted his attention onto the teenager with a small smile. "You need to go get Leon to stop working and eat something, 'cause we all know no one else can get him to."

Riku returned the slight smile and nodded, almost gratefully, to the violet-eyed man before also leaving with a small wave to Aerith.

The two former SOLDIERs turned to one another once the boy was out of earshot, "Alright, what did you do now?" asked Zack.

"Why do you assume I'm the one at fault _if _something happened?" questioned Cloud moodily.

"Because I know you that well," replied Zack lightly.

The blonde man rolled his eyes, "We'll finish this discussion later; I told Tifa I'd head to her place at lunch. Bye Aerith."

"See you later, Cloud," responded the named woman before turning to her boyfriend. "What was all of that about?"

"I'm not sure, but something is up with them…I think they might have had another tiff," replied the violet-eyed man. "Riku keeps avoiding even glancing in Cloud's direction and the kid hasn't spoken more than five words all day…and when both Reno and I offered for both of them to come for lunch, Riku instantly dropped his head another inch or so, so his eyes were even more hidden..."

The former SOLDIER smiled, "And you know how Cloud gets. He's been moody and broody all day…and he kept shooting these little half-hearted glares at Riku earlier, but once he finally realised there was no retaliation, he started watching the boy with that little frown of his."

Aerith chuckled warmly. Zack quirked an eyebrow, "What part of that is amusing?"

"You've become fluent in Riku," answered the green-eyed woman. "Aside from Leon, none of the rest of us can read him like that yet. Although Cid is becoming good at guessing when the boy's just being his usual introverted self verses when something is actually wrong."

"That doesn't surprise me," replied Zack as he slipped an arm around Aerith's waist and the pair began walking home. "As crotchety as he gets, Cid actually tends to watch out for some of the younger members of our little extended family here. He just doesn't like to make it too obvious. Me, I don't care if Cloud and the kid know I'm watching their backs."

"I know," Aerith stated with a warm smile. "Besides, you're the best at reading Cloud aside from Tifa and now you're the only one here beside Leon that can speak Riku… actually, you're quite the polyglot here…"

"I'm what?" asked Zack with a smirk.

"Well, you can speak just about everyone's personal language," answered the green-eyed woman. She then tapped a finger against her lower lip. "I bet you can even guess what I'm thinking right now…"

"You're wondering if you should mention that you tried a new recipe again or just wait and see how I like it first," replied Zack with a smile. "You know I like everything you make."

Aerith smiled as well, "I know, but I dropped some off to Leon and Cid and they seemed to think the flavours didn't go together as well as I did."

"Well, they're both pretty picky eaters," commented the raven-haired man, his smile faltering slightly.

"What is it?" asked Aerith.

"Oh, it's just speaking of things that don't go together so well got me thinking of Cloud and Riku again," the former SOLDIER responded. "Don't worry about it though. If Tifa doesn't straighten Cloud out over lunch, then I'll let Riku go help Cid and Leon on the computer afterwards and get the issue out of him then."

Aerith smirked as Zack unlocked the door to their house, "And you say _I_ try to take care of everyone too much."

"I don't try to take care of _everyone_, just a few of our dear, misguided friends," said Zack with a grin. "Besides, in this instance, I have to…I'm the only one besides Leon who can speak both of their languages and he's not going to be nearly as nice about it as I am."

"Hmm, you do have a point there," said Aerith thoughtfully. "Anyway, I'll let you try to settle this after lunch. In the meantime, you can try my new fish and cheese casserole."

"That sounds like a plan," said Zack, hiding a grimace. Suddenly, his smile turned very genuine and somewhat devious. "Actually, why don't I bring some to Cloud tonight and have nice long talk with him…?"


	171. Silver

_Prompt: Silver_

_Given by: Greyness of Betwixt_

_Setting: Radiant garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None; One-sided Reno/Riku_

* * *

Reno was walking down one of the newly reconstructed streets of his old home world with his former partner and best friend Rude. 

"You know, I'm glad it took us a little longer to get back here than Leonhart and his gang," remarked the redhead. "This place must have been real dump when they returned, yo."

As usual, the bald man beside him made no verbal reply, but simply flicked his eyes over their surroundings. Reno understood this to mean that Rude agreed on the latter part of that statement, but he had always been more sentimental than his fiery partner had.

"Whoa…there have definitely been some _fine _improvements, though," stated Reno as he caught sight of a strikingly beautiful girl crossing the street up ahead.

The girl paused to glance up and down the road, obviously looking for an address among the new line of buildings…and clearly unfamiliar with the area. Her long, silver hair fell down her back in layers that the breeze gently toyed with, and she had rather long bangs that swept over stunning teal eyes.

She wore plain flat sneakers, simple faded jeans that were casually hanging low on slender hips, a black sleeveless zip-front shirt and a sleeveless grey jacket that ended well above her midriff, which revealed her slim but fit arms and hint of her pale, well-sculpted stomach, including her navel. She appeared rather flat chested, but with that face, those eyes, and that hair, Reno did not care.

"She's not even legal, Reno," commented Rude flatly.

"Who cares?" replied the redhead. "They'd have to catch me first and anyway, _that _is so worth the risk, yo…"

A rosy pink tongue briefly darted out of the teenager's mouth to wet her supple lips before she turned to head in the opposite direction.

"Yo, hang on," Reno called. The eye-catching girl glanced in his direction but made no sign of acknowledgment before continuing up the road.

"Hey, you…Er…_Silver_," Reno tried again as he began walking in the girl's direction. Rude stayed behind and shook his head.

After glancing at Reno again and then surveying the street quickly, the silvered goddess finally seemed to realise that he was, in fact, addressing her. However, she did not offer any form of greeting or move to meet Reno halfway, but merely paused and waited for him to finish his approach.

"So…you lost, sweetie?" asked the Turk as he stopped a few feet away from the girl, who took a step back, almost involuntarily it seemed.

"Excuse me?" The silver-haired beauty blinked in confusion and tilted her head slightly as she regarded Reno. She looked completely bewildered by his greeting.

Her voice was lower than Reno had expected, and that combined with her deep, striking eyes made her seem far wiser than the years her young face and svelte body suggested. Combined with the exotic colours of her hair and eyes, the girl practically screamed sensuality. Reno _really _liked the overall effect.

"You look like you don't really belong here, yo," Reno replied after eyeing the adolescent over. Those teal eyes, already well hidden behind her lengthy bangs, dropped lower at that statement and she turned her head away marginally.

Reno smiled lightly, and spoke in the most enticing tone he could muster; "You're a shy one, huh Silver? You know, it's probably not a good idea for you to be wandering out here by yourself…"

The girl's head rose slightly to look at Reno again. One of her finely sculpted eyebrows arched, and she looked as though she was wondering if he were teasing her. Pliant cerise lips parted slightly, but her eyes looked hesitant, as she seemed to think better of saying whatever she had been about to.

Reno smirked and stepped forward. "Do you have any idea how fuckable you look right now?" he asked in a low tone.

Now her other eyebrow shot up along with her head as she started at Reno in open shock and a hint of something akin to horror.

The Turk held up his hands innocently. "Don't get me wrong, I would never take advantage of an innocent little thing like you, but there are plenty here who would not hesitate to pin you up against a wall and do unspeakable things to you."

The teal-eyed beauty still looked bemused by the way Reno was speaking to her, but something in her eyes seemed to shift at that statement, so that when she spoke next, Reno couldn't help but believe her. "I can take care of myself, thanks…"

Icy blue eyes trailed over the sinuous form again, "Well, you certainly look fit, and you sound confident enough, but everyone has their limits, yo. Anyway, why go through the hassle if you don't have to?"

"What are you implying?" the girl asked in a level tone, however, her expressive eyes gave away her suspicion.

"If any of those types of guys see you walking around an escort they're not going to bother you," commented Reno with a smile. "Why don't you stick with me until you get to know the town little?"

The teenager tilted her head slightly again, now looking just as suspicious as she was confused. Reno found it hard to believe this aesthetic piece of jailbait was so unused to being picked-up on. "…And what's in it for you?" she asked in a guarded tone.

The Turk shrugged and smiled before locking eyes with the girl as he slowly moved closer while answering. "Well, maybe we'll get to know each other a little…see the sights; ride the rides…"

Reno had barely raised his hand to run his knuckles over her thigh when one of the girl's own hands darted out. Instead of simply grabbing his wrist or knocking his hand away, as Reno had expected, a strange sort of shield formed before the girl's pale hand. It almost looked as thought the air had simply gained a dark tint somehow.

Reno also discovered that this odd shield of dark air hurt like hell when touched.

"Back off," the girl warned quietly, but in a decidedly daunting tone.

"Hey, sorry 'bout that, Silver," said Reno as he raised the hand that was not sore in a pacifying manner. "Guess I got a bit ahead of myself." The Turk sighed and dropped his hand, "Look, I know this is bound to sound like a bad pick-up line, but you really are one intriguing girl, yo."

Teal eyes blinked once in confusion before understanding seemed to dawn on the teen and the corner of her mouth quirked in the slightest hint of a smirk. "I think you want to reconsider what you're doing right now."

Reno quirked an eyebrow, wondering if the girl realised how hot she looked with that subtle smirk. "Oh really…? And why is that?"

"Because I'm probably not your type…," responded the teenager, now sounding somewhat amused.

"What makes you say that?" asked the redhead.

"Because I'm not a girl," replied the silver-haired beauty.

Reno scoffed, "Look, I know how to take 'no' for an answer, yo…And a little heads up; that's not going to fool anyone, Silver."

"My name is Riku," stated the exotic adolescent. "I'm a boy, and whether that discourages you or not, you are _definitely _not my type, so again, _back off_."

The Turk heard a snort behind him and glanced over his shoulder to see Rude looking as amused as he ever did while shaking his head slowly.

"What…?" questioned the redhead.

"It took you this long to figure it out?" replied the bald man.

Reno quirked an eyebrow again, Rude was usually rather observant, so if he believed that the striking beauty was a boy then _she _just might be a _he_.

Turning back to the androgynous hottie, Reno darted a hand out before the unsuspecting teen could summon another of those strange shields and slipped it between the adolescent's slender thighs.

He barely had time to register his surprise at what he had just groped when a Dark Aura sent him reeling.

Through the spots popping up in his vision and the buzzing in his ears, Reno caught a flash of silver and heard footsteps retreating rapidly.

Rude was clearly trying not to smirk as Reno stood and brushed the dirt of his clothes.

"No one hears about this," the redhead stated before turning in the opposite direction than the silver-haired boy had chosen. Rude nodded once before walking along with him again.

"Strife, Fair, and Leonhart would never let me live that down, yo." Icy blue eyes glanced down the road before they turned the corner. The adolescent was long gone.

Reno shook his head. "Damn, that was one sexy boy though…"


	172. Fire

_Prompt: Fire_

_Given by: Greyness of Betwixt_

_Setting: The World That Never Was; Pre-KHII_

_Pairing: None; One-sided Axel/Riku; Implied one-sided Leon/Riku _

_Author's note: Anyone remember Rain? _

* * *

The fiery Nobody watched as the silver-haired adolescent weaved in and out of the shadows as though he were merely a pale wisp of moonlight trying to break through the cloud coverage.

Even knowing where the boy had started from and where he was headed to, Axel still lost him for brief periods, and would have to wait until he caught a glimpse of silver ducking into the darkness once again in order to continue following the child.

Number VIII stood against a building at the mouth of an alleyway during one such wait, his emerald eyes scanning the area where he had last seen the boy move into the shadow of another building across the square. Axel spared a thought for how it was even possible for someone to hide that well and move so gracefully, let alone blindfolded, when he heard a soft voice speak from the alley behind him.

"Haven't you gotten enough of a feel for the competition yet?"

"Aren't you the one who said it wasn't a competition?" remarked the redhead.

"I did…because it isn't," retorted the soft voice smoothly. "Besides, you've been tailing me for five blocks…you could have taken me already if that was your intention."

Axel smirked as he turned to face the silver-haired teenager. "You're good..." He trailed his eyes over the blindfolded boy. "You got the coat adjusted…it looks good on you."

Riku inclined his head politely, "Thanks. So why are you following me now? ...You hoping I'll lead you to him?"

"Maybe…or maybe I really did want to get a _feel _of the competition this time," Axel replied as emerald eyes trailed over the teen's willowy form again.

The boy released a quiet scoff and Axel bet that he rolled his eyes behind the blindfold.

"Hey, I may not have a heart, but my eyes work just fine." The redhead quietly stepped closer to the adolescent. He raised a gloved hand and ghosted his fingertips over the black cloth that hid the boy's eyes, "Or have you been wearing this thing too long to see what you've become since you broke free?"

The silver-haired boy shivered and turned his face away. Then, he spoke even more quietly than he had before. "What are you doing…?"

Axel brushed some silver hair away from the teenager's averted face before tracing his fingers over a pale cheek, then down the boy's jaw, neck, and clavicle. "I'm not sure, but…" The redhead rested his hand over the boy's chest, where he could feel the adolescent's heartbeat. "I think I'm beginning to feel something…"

"Wha-" Riku turned his face back as he questioned the Nobody's statement, but Axel did not allow him to finish the query. In one graceful motion, the redhead bent down as he gripped and lifted the boy's chin with his free hand and pressed their lips together.

The silver-haired teen froze, except for his heart, which Axel could feel pounding under the hand he still had over the boy's chest. The Nobody could not say how much time passed before he loosened his grip on Riku's chin and the boy turned his face away again, breaking the unexpected kiss.

Axel could still feel the boy's heart beating as though it was trying to escape the confines of his slender chest when Riku spoke in a deceptively calm tone.

"Sorry, but I've learned not to play with fire…I've been burned too many times already." There was something painfully sincere in the boy's level voice.

The fiery Nobody nodded, eyes fixed on the boy's averted face. "Too bad no one warned you about the dangers involved with squalls. Those can hurt you badly too…especially the cold ones."

Riku gasped softly and took a step back as he turned his head to face Axel again. "How did you…?"

"I'm not bad myself," stated the redhead with a small smirk. "And that's the only place you aren't so guarded…although after this, I think I might rank in at a not-so-distant second. I feel honoured…or I would if I could feel, anyway."

"You should," the silvered adolescent replied. "I don't trust so easily these days."

"You pick some odd exceptions," remarked Axel.

The boy shrugged, "You'd be surprised what you see once you close your eyes."

Axel snorted, "I think I lack the proper equipment for that."

"I'm not as sure about that," replied Riku as he stepped forward and raised his own gloved hand to rest at the centre of Axel's chest. The Nobody could not help but wonder what the boy felt as he did this.

"I really need to keep moving," stated Riku after a moment. "Maybe we'll cross paths again."

"Yeah, maybe…" Axel raised his arm and stop Riku from passing with a hand over his chest again. He rubbed his thumb over the boy's slowing heart, "Be careful with this…they're more fragile than you think."

"Trust me…I know," said Riku.

Axel lowered his hand and Riku continued walking. He turned his head to call over his shoulder, "Good luck finding him."

Axel grinned, "You too, kid."

Then the boy disappeared into the shadows again. This time, Axel did not follow.


	173. Promises

_Prompt: Promises_

_Given by: BastionIII_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; (way) Pre-KH_

_Pairing: Mickey/Minnie, Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi)_

_Author's note: I like the story here but not the execution...just to warn you._

* * *

"Ah, my old friend, I am pleased that you have arrived now," greeted Ansem the Wise as King Mickey entered his study.

"Whelp, the Keyblade led me here, so I guess you must need my help," replied Mickey with a smile as he sat in one of the vacant chairs before the sage's large desk.

"Yes, I'm afraid I have a favour to ask of you," said Ansem in a tone that suggested he truly was afraid of current events.

"Well, what can I do to help?" asked Mickey optimistically.

"While I have been working on my current research with my apprentices, it seems that one of my other dear friends has gone too far with his own research," replied the sage heavily. "I have recently learned that Hojo's son was imbued with Jenova's cells while he slept in the womb. This explains some of his more extraordinary skills; however…I regret to inform you that we are now learning that some of the side effects are just as extraordinary in their horridness."

"I don't think that's what the Keyblade brought me here for," said Mickey thoughtfully. "Although I would like to help Sephiroth…"

"Hojo and Hilargi have been trying to find a way to curb these horrendous side effects, however, I believe that Sephiroth is beyond our ability to assist at this time," replied Ansem quietly.

"How is Hilargi?" asked Mickey. "I heard some of your apprentices discussing an accident with her on my way in."

"She is alive, but she will never be well again," replied the sage sadly. "I give her another decade of life at best. And this has led us to the favour I need to ask of you…however, I believe I should explain a few other details that have also been brought to my attention recently."

Ansem sighed, "The reason Sephiroth and Hilargi finally came to be about the terrible experiments Hojo has been conducting, is because they were secretly married nearly a year ago. They have a son…Riku."

The mouse king's eyes widened, "Have the Jenova cells been passed down to him?"

"Yes, however, they have integrated into his DNA even more completely than they did Sephiroth's…almost as though Jenova truly were his mother. This is most likely because they were already in Sephiroth when the child was created…but I digress," Ansem steepled his fingers and met the diminutive king's eyes. "If Hojo, any of his associates, or nearly any scientist without a conscience, were to find out about the child, there would be nowhere on this world that he would be safe from experimentation."

Mickey frowned and raised a hand to touch his small chest. "I think that's why the Keyblade brought me here…"

"I hope so, for I know that what I am about to ask of you is against every force of nature," replied Ansem with a sad laugh. "I want you to take Hilargi and the baby Riku away from this world. The child is also in great danger from his father and the other men that have been subject to Hojo's insanity. I fear that even I cannot keep the child safe here…and there is something about him…I believe you when you say the Keyblade might have drawn you here to preserve the fate of this babe."

Mickey nodded solemnly, "You want me to take the baby and Hilargi to another world…I think the Keyblade agrees. Where do I find them?"

"Thank you, dear friend," responded the sage. "Hilargi is still recovering, the child is with a friend of his father's…and let me warn you, he is not going to like handing Riku over without knowing where you are taking him or who you are, for that matter."

"He sounds like a good friend," commented Mickey as he stood. "I'm sure it will all be okay from here."

"Be sure to return sometime, your majesty," said Ansem as he walked his friend to the door. "I do enjoy our conversations…under less excruciating circumstances, of course."

"Of course," replied Mickey. "You'll be seeing me again."

The mouse king headed straight to Hilargi's home, where he found a young man in his late teens, with black hair and violet eyes playing with an infant with silver hair.

The young man held the baby affectionately as he noticed Mickey's approach. One could almost mistake him for a protective much-older brother as he cradled the baby. "Wha- Who are you?"

Mickey smiled, appreciating both the young man's protectiveness of his friend's child and the fact that he altered his question from 'what' to 'whom'. "I'm King Mickey. Ansem the Wise sent me here."

"_You're _King Mickey," the violet-eyed man repeated. "Sorry…uh, Ansem didn't describe you in much detail…"

Mickey chuckled, "I wouldn't expect him to. Actually, we really need to keep my appearance and identity between us, okay?"

"Okay," repeated the young man. "So when are we leaving?"

"_We_…?" the small king repeated in some confusion. "I guess Ansem didn't explain much, huh? I'm sorry…er…what is your name?"

"Zack Fair," replied the young man, "And this better not be going where I think it is. Hilargi is ill and Seph is…not himself. There is no way this kid is going anywhere without me."

"I'm sorry Zack, but I'm taking Riku somewhere that you just cannot go," stated Mickey apologetically. "You aren't even supposed to know about other worlds…let alone travel to one."

"Didn't you hear what I said?" stated the raven-haired man. "What if Seph…doesn't get better? ...And what if Hilargi dies? Riku will be stuck on a world he doesn't belong to…he'll be all alone. I can't let that happen…I promised Seph I would take care of him."

"I'm sorry, Zack," said Mickey. "I can't take you, but I _can _promise you something. If Riku is ever left all alone somewhere he doesn't belong, I'll go to him as soon as I can and I'll watch over him until I can return him to you, alright?"

Troubled violet eyes looked down at the child in his arms before glancing at the anthropomorphic mouse once again. "Hold him for a minute."

Mickey tilted his head, "Why do I get the feeling this is some sort of test?"

"Because it is," replied Zack. "The only people Riku trusts completely are me and his parents. I don't know how he does it, but I'll be able to tell how much I should trust you by his reaction to you."

Mickey smiled and held out his hands to take the baby. The raven-haired man reluctantly handed the child over.

After watching Zack for a moment, bright cyan eyes turned to Mickey, and Riku studied the mouse king for a moment before smiling. Mickey lifted the baby up and spun him around once, earning him a giggle before he cradled the baby in his arms.

"Wow," Zack stated with a look of surprise. "He only lets me and Sephiroth do that normally. I guess he thinks you're alright…"

"So I can take him then?" asked Mickey.

The young man sighed and moved to take Riku back. Mickey allowed this without protest.

"Hey Riku," Zack said to the baby that he cradled. The named child looked at him so intently that Mickey had to remind himself that the baby was too young to understand the words being spoken to him. "You're going to have to go away for a while, but I promise you that we'll be together again someday. Just…be careful, and learn how to wield a sword until then, okay?"

Riku smiled and hugged the young man, crying out softly when Zack handed him to Mickey again.

"I'm sorry, Riku," violet eyed looked torn as the baby reached out for him with tears in his own eyes.

"Don't worry, Zack," said Mickey. "I have a feeling you and me are going to be seeing him again one day."

"Not even death itself could stop me," stated Zack determinedly as he clearly fought tears. "In the meantime, I'll see what I can do about getting his father back for him."

Mickey nodded, "You're a good man, Zack. I hope we meet each other again someday too. Good luck." With that, Mickey turned and started heading to the hospital.

When Riku reached over Mickey's shoulder and called Zack's name through his quiet sobs, the small king knew the young man behind him had finally succumbed to his own tears…and he really could not blame him.

He knew that this was all for the best…the Keyblade had intervened after all. However, Mickey also had a feeling this child was going to see more heartache before that time came.

Little did he know that fourteen years later, all of the promises he and Zack made that day would be fulfilled, and he would once again be blown away by the strength of a few connected hearts.


	174. DNA

_Prompt: DNA_

_Given by: catchmeloon_

_Setting: Traverse Town; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Zack/Aerith, Mickey/Minnie; Referenced Leon/Riku; Past Vincent/Lucrecia & Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi)_

_Author's notes: The files are the ones previously mentioned in Tenure and Calculator._

* * *

Zack smiled as the mouse king approached him from the main gates of Traverse Town; "Hey, good to see you again."

Mickey smiled as well. "It's good to see you too again, Zack…Although I wish we didn't always end up meeting over such sad circumstances."

"Yeah, you and Minnie should just stop by sometime," the former SOLDIER nodded. "Maybe during Riku's winter break at school; I know he'd love to see you more."

"I'd like that. I miss him too," replied Mickey. "Has Merlin arrived yet?"

Zack nodded again and then he and the small king began walking to the doors that led to the Third District. "He's at Vincent's house. I left the files with them so they could read 'em over while I waited for you. I want to get this taken care of as quickly as possible…not knowing is killing me."

"I understand," said Mickey sadly. "You have one of the strongest bonds to Riku. You knew him before me, Leon...and even Sora. And everyone knows how close those two are."

"Yeah, the Keyblade really knew what it was doing when it led Riku to those islands, huh?" stated Zack.

"Yep," agreed Mickey. "I hate to think what could have happened if those two hadn't befriended each other before everything that occurred over the past couple years."

"Hey, thanks for keeping your promise during all of that, by the way," stated the violet-eyed man.

Mickey chuckled, "It was my pleasure. Of course, I'm not the only one who kept his promise."

Zack grinned and shrugged, "Well, someone has to look after the little angel now, and it would really be awkward for Leon to have to fill the parental role with his boyfriend…"

Mickey chuckled, "Yeah, and while Minnie and I were more than willing to take him, I think he's better off with his own species…he has enough issues already."

"I can imagine the look on his teachers faces if you guys showed up for a PTA meeting," said Zack before much of the humour drained from him as they approached a door with a fire emblem embossed onto it. "Damn it, Mickey…he's just a kid. Hasn't he dealt with enough already?"

"Don't worry Zack," said Mickey as he raised a gloved hand to cast a fire spell on the door. "We'll be there to help him no matter what happens, right?"

"Not even death could stop me," murmured Zack with a half grin.

"That's the spirit," commented the small king.

"Sephiroth doesn't even know about the tests," the former SOLDIER stated abruptly.

Mickey sighed, knowing what the other meant by that. "Hilargi was a scientist. She was able to make decisions without letting her heart get in the way. However, she was not like Hojo. She didn't run any experiments on Riku as Hojo did with Sephiroth…she just ran tests. She needed to know how much the experiments done on her husband had affected their child. Without those test, we wouldn't be able to determine Riku's condition now."

"I know," replied Zack. "Hilargi loved Riku, but some of those tests sound so harsh and invasive…he must have been scared…and-"

"And most likely in pain," commented Vincent, who was waiting at the front of his house, which was once the home of Merlin. "That is probably why she did the most discomforting ones while he was too young to remember them. It was less cruel that way. She did as well as she could without ignoring the possible problems. Do not hold that against her."

"I don't," stated the raven-haired man. "I'm sorry, I'm just worried. Have you both read the files? Were you able to understand all of it?"

"Yes on both accounts," replied the crimson-eyed man. "Merlin is waiting inside. Would you like us to hold off our explanation until you have read the files, your majesty?"

"Nope," Mickey shook his head, earning a sigh of relief from Zack. "I'll understand more from your explanation anyway. Come on; let's not keep Zack waiting any longer."

Inside the small house, Merlin was waiting at a round table in the centre of the room. At this table were four chairs and only after each of them was sitting did the wizard and the immortal begin their explanation.

"Before we begin, what do you actually know about the Jenova cells in Riku?" asked Merlin.

"That they passed to him from Sephiroth," replied Zack simply.

"Ansem the Wise told me that they had been ingrained into his DNA even more completely than they had in Sephiroth's," stated Mickey. "He said it were almost as if Jenova was one of Riku's parents."

"That is exactly correct," said Merlin. "Riku's DNA is not like that of any human's, in fact, it looks more as if he were an angel like Jenova."

"In essence," commented Vincent. "Hilargi and Sephiroth accomplished in Riku exactly what Hojo and Lucrecia attempted to with Sephiroth."

Zack frowned, "Does that mean…can she do to him what she did to Sephiroth even easier?"

"No," answered Vincent. "A large part of the problem with Sephiroth was that the Jenova cells were still foreign. His body and his heart naturally felt the need to fight them, just as they fought his natrual cells…this added to his mental instability. In Riku, they are truly a part of him, and because of this, they cannot act by a separate will to control him. There is no internal battle. He is in complete control of them."

The violet-eyed man released a shaky sigh, "So, what happened to Sephiroth won't happen to Riku?"

"Not with Jenova," replied the immortal.

"I don't like the sound of that," answered Zack.

"Several of the tests run on Riku suggest a bond between himself and his father, which is quite similar to the bond between Sephiroth and Jenova," explained Vincent.

"However," Merlin interjected, "The bond is weaker because of the facts Vincent has already explained. Sephiroth did not have the cells fully integrated into him, so he cannot manipulate this bond the way Jenova did with him. In addition, not only is Riku's control of his own cells stronger, but he also has showed an impressive resistance to such efforts of control with Xehanort's Heartless. I do not believe we need to fear Sephiroth doing to his son what Jenova did to himself."

"Well that's a relief," Zack stated quietly. "But what about all these strange abilities he keeps discovering? …And the nightmares? Any idea about what's causing them?"

"The nightmares are due to his connection with his father as well as his own experiences. In short, he has been traumatised greatly. With help, he will recover greatly in time...if he is allowed to," stated Merlin. "The abilities are simply his."

"Sephiroth has some of them, Genesis had them too, and some I don't think I've ever encountered before and I've seen plenty in my time," responded the violet-eyed man.

"Look at Riku's DNA, Zack," replied Vincent. "It isn't human. We are dealing with an adolescent destroyer angel with the added unique ability to wield both darkness and light, who is also one of the Keyblade's chosen wielders; none of the standard rules apply."

"Damn…I'm glad he's on our side," stated Zack. Mickey nodded his agreement.

"Indeed," said Vincent. "If it were anyone else, I would suggest eliminating him."

"_What_?" violet-eyes narrowed. "He's a sixteen-year-old boy, Vincent. ...And I don't care what his DNA says, that kid is my family. He-"

"He is far too tempting a tool," interrupted the crimson-eyed man. "Not only for scientists like Hojo, Gast, or Shinra, but for anyone interested in power or control. Maleficent only knew one aspect of the boy, the Organization knew two…and still they sought to use him. Even Ansem the Wise tried to utilise the child in his quest for vengeance…only he was astute enough not to try to control him fully. Especially during that time, Riku would have shut him out entirely."

"But no one else knows what Riku is," commented Mickey. "Most don't even know he's a Kayblade wielder, and almost as few know about his abilities to master the shadows. Besides, he won't allow himself to be a victim of manipulation again; you said yourself he can fight anyone who might try to control him against his will, and he's a good kid. He won't use his abilities for the wrong reasons."

"Hell, he's hesitant to use them _period_," added Zack. "Okay, I'm locking those files away somewhere where no one can read them and none of us are repeating any of this information, agreed?"

"Leon will want to be filled in," commented Mickey. "And Riku will have to know eventually."

"I already told Leon I would keep him informed and I guarantee you, he'll die before he'd give up anything on Riku," responded the violet-eyed man. "And Riku has agreed to leave this to me. He knows that he was affected by the experiments done on Sephiroth, just not the extent. I'll let him know that his abilities aren't anything to be afraid of, but that he cannot advertise them either. It's better if he doesn't know everything…he'll be able to lead a more normal life this way."

"I agree," replied Mickey. "Riku has enough on his shoulders already. We'll look out for him."

"Riku is an exceptionally capable young man," added Merlin. "I believe he will know if anything is wrong before any of us will…and he can take care of himself. He has a good heart and he has learned to follow it. I see no reason to burden him with this either."

"As long as Sephiroth and Genesis stay away from him, there is no reason to be concerned anyway," said Vincent. "He is no different now than he was a month ago. We have simply gained knowledge that we did not have before. The less who know, the safer Riku will be. Speaking of which, these files are the originals, but they refer to a digital copy. Where are those?"

"In Ansem's old computer," answered Zack. "I think Riku is the only one who can access them."

"Then tell him to delete them," replied the crimson-eyed man. "Between the four of us, five once you inform Leonhart, there should be at least one remaining to tell him if ever the need arises…and I'm sure you'll see to it that he has access to those files if ever he requires it."

The former SOLDIER nodded; "So now what?"

"Now, we all go home," replied Mickey. He reached over to place a gloved hand on Zack's arm as he offered the violet-eyed man a warm smile. "Tell Riku that Me, Minnie, and Pluto will be seeing him before Christmas…probably Goofy, Donald, and Daisy too."

Zack returned the smile. "Thanks Mickey. Oh and Vincent, you and Reeve are expected for Christmas too…don't make me sic Tifa and Aerith on you."

The corner of the crimson-eyed man's mouth quirked up slightly. "And I'm sure Yuffie will never stop pestering me if I fail to see my grandson on the holidays."

Zack chuckled, "Oh yeah, she told me about that. You know...you look really good for the grandfather of a sixteen-year-old…"

Zack returned home feeling much lighter than he had when he left, and felt even better when Riku did not ask any questions upon being woken up at three in the morning simply to receive a hug.


	175. Thermostat

_Prompt: Thermostat_

_Given by: catchmeloon_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Leon/Riku, Cid/Shera, Zack/Aerith_

* * *

"Cid, it's freezing in here!" Yuffie greeted as she entered the reconstruction committee's headquarters. "I'm turning up the heat…" 

"No, you're not," commented the Gummi mechanic. "We're using up enough power in here as it is. It's not _that _cold anyway."

"Actually, it is fairly cold in here," commented Aerith, although she seemed fine with her shawl and Zack wrapped around her shoulders.

"I'm not complaining," commented the raven-haired man with a smirk.

"Well, unlike you guys, I don't have anyone to cuddle with to get warm, and I'm cold," stated the hyperactive ninja.

"Well you could try wearing more clothes," suggested Cloud, who was reading over something quietly, looking completely comfortable in cargo pants and a turtleneck sweater. "Or actually doing something…"

"Hey, you're just sitting there and anyway, you probably just aren't cold because you're some sort of Mako super-human!" The petite woman retorted with a stomp of her foot.

"Okay, do I want to know what set her off?" asked Leon as he entered and shrugged off his coat casually.

"Cid won't let me turn up the heat," explained Yuffie.

"It's not just you," commented Cid. "I wouldn't let Spiky do it when he wanted to either."

The brown-eyed woman turned to Cloud quickly, "So you _are _cold! What, you can't admit it because Zack hasn't yet? Do you normally see him clinging to Aerith like a lemur?"

Both of the former SOLDIERs glanced at one another and then turned to Cid.

"No," remarked the blonde man before anyone had a chance to speak. "We are setting an example. You can roast yourselves in your homes for all I care, but get used to wearing a sweater here and at the garage."

"Hmph, how does Shera put up with him at home?" asked Yuffie.

"She wears warm clothes," answered Aerith, "And he doesn't have the thermostat set quite so low at home."

"Ah, quit your bitching, all of you," stated Cid as he stood and walked over to where Leon had begun looking over some reports. "I got one of those corrupted files isolated, but the second's being a pain in the ass and I can't delete the first…you might want to have Jailbait to look at it."

Leon shot the man an irritated look before responding flatly, "I'll ask Riku to look at it."

"Look at what?" asked Riku as he approached the two men. He had his hands tucked into the pockets of his hoodie, which was zipped up all the way, yet the high neck of his shirt underneath was still visible.

"Some programs Cid can't get rid of," answered Leon as he rubbed the boy's back absentmindedly.

"Okay," the cyan-eyed responded with a nod. "I just wanted to let you know I took care of the 'monster' that you were getting complaints about near the edge of town."

"No one was supposed to go after it by themselves," Leon reprimanded sternly. "We didn't know what it was…you could have been hurt."

"I wasn't trying to go after it," Riku said indignantly. "It came after me…and it was some sort of suped-up Twilight Thorn."

"We'll have to look into that," commented Leon in a worried tone as he, unconsciously it seemed, slipped his arm around the silver-haired adolescent.

Riku attempted a shrug but it seemed to turn into a shiver before he stepped away from Leon with a visible effort. "I'm going to go look at that program now."

"Why don't you just use the computer here," suggested the Gunblade wielder, still looking slightly concerned. "That is, if Cid doesn't mind."

"No, go for it kid," replied the blonde man. Once Riku was out of earshot, he turned to Leon. "Is he sick or something?"

"No, he's just having trouble adjusting to the cold after living on the islands for so long," answered the steel-eyed man.

Cid nodded, "Well I'm going to go see how he tackled that program…maybe I can figure out how to do it next time without having to call the pretty boy in…"

Leon looked after the Gummi mechanic with a humourless expression that soon gave way to a small appreciative smile when he noticed that Cid stopped to turn up the thermostat on his way to see the boy.


	176. Please

_Prompt: Please_

_Given by: catchmeloon_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Leon/Riku, Zack/Aerith; Implied Post-Sephiroth/OC

* * *

_

Leon awoke abruptly when Riku suddenly sat up, muscles tense and eyes alert.

"Riku, what's the-" before Leon could finish the question he saw a shadow move in the corner just before a heartless lunged, only to collide with a dark shield just before Way to the Dawn ended it's existence.

Riku was up and pulling on pyjama pants within seconds. "Something is happening outside," the silver-haired teen murmured as he pulled a T-shirt over his head and slipped his feet into his sneakers.

Leon was already tugging on his own pyjama pants and grabbing Revolver as the boy left the room. The scarred man slipped his feet into his boots and ran after the cyan-eyed adolescent.

Once he was out the front door, the Gunblade wielder knew that something was very wrong. To his right, he could see the furthest part of the town in flames, with dark shadows scurrying around the area. People were running from that direction, some empty handed, others were carrying their children or simply whatever belongings they could manage.

...And among them, he spotted a head of silver that was running in the opposite direction, towards whatever chaos the others were fleeing.

Leon ran after him without a seconds pause.

As he neared the first street that was engulfed by shadow and flames, the steel-eyed man saw Zell fighting a few Heartless and altered his path to help his friend.

"Leon, what the hell is going on?" called the tattooed man as the two friends defeated the group of enemies.

"I don't know," answered the scarred man. "Someone had to have brought these here…this world's Keyhole is still locked."

"Leon, Zell," Zack called as he ran towards them from the main part of town. Cloud was a few steps behind him. Both men wore only boots and pyjama pants and had their swords drawn. "Where's Riku?"

"He's here somewhere," replied Leon in a concerned tone. "He took off as soon he sensed something was up."

"Looks like he was the first," replied the violet-eyed man. "Leon, Sephiroth is here…Cloud and I have both felt him."

"Do you think he's behind this?" asked the scarred man.

"Well, only Riku would be able to tell if there was someone else around using the darkness," remarked the raven-haired man, sounding like he wished there was someone else behind it.

"Zack, look around, it's like Nibelheim all over again," stated Cloud coolly. "We have to find Sephiroth."

"I'm looking for Riku," Leon's tone left no room for argument.

"I'll go with you," offered Zell.

"I think they're together already," stated Zack.

"Then let's get moving," replied Leon. He turned to head further into the area. "Zell, can you head back and help Cid get everyone organised to keep the Heartless and the fire contained? I'll join you once I-"

"Don't worry about it Leon," interrupted the tattooed blonde as he turned to head back; Tifa, Rude, and Reno could be seen turning onto the end of the road. "Go take care of the kid, we've got this."

Leon nodded as he, Zack, and Cloud took off toward the centre of the calamity.

"Oh Shiva…" Zack muttered as they turned another corner to find the street littered with bodies. Some had been burned or killed by Heartless, but most were clearly taken down quickly by someone with a sharp, slender blade. "Yeah…this was Sephiroth…"

"Where did the Heartless go?" asked Leon as he too took in the results of the recent massacre. "They were swarming when we got here…"

"Sephiroth is too distracted to summon a portal for them, and there's only a few people who can pose enough of a threat to require his full attention," answered Zack worriedly.

"Does anyone else hear that?" questioned Cloud, who seemed to be straining to listen to something."

Leon paused for a moment to listen as well, "I don't hear any-"

"I hear it too," interrupted Zack. "Someone's still in one of the nearby buildings. Cloud, can you find them?"

The spiky-haired man looked hesitant to leave their current path, "Yeah…This way."

Zack suddenly stopped and whipped his head the other way. "Leon!"

Steel blue eyes followed the former SOLDIER's gaze to the rooftop of one of the buildings across the square.

Sephiroth and Riku were duelling skilfully; the cyan-eyed boy seemed to be saying something to the silver-haired man, who appeared to be offering cold replies.

As Leon watched, Riku stopped speaking and dived off the building, twisting in the air to throw a Dark Aura at the winged man who jumped after him. The blow caused Sephiroth to land unevenly and Riku readied himself for another attack.

Just as the three men turned, a dark shadow spilled across the ground before them and dozens of Heartless crawled out to attack them.

"Guess he decided distracting us was worth taking a blow for," commented Zack as he readied his weapon. Leon glanced over to see that Riku had moved to Sephiroth's other side and in the process, injured the silver-haired man's right shoulder.

Leon tried to keep an eye on the duel as he fought the Heartless. The cyan-eyed boy did seem to be holding up against the One-Winged Angel better than anyone else could. However, the silvered adolescent was clearly not aiming to kill, whereas Sephiroth was.

"Zack, can you get past these things?!" called Leon as he struck down another Heartless.

"Working on it," came the curt reply.

The appearance of yet more Heartless earned a groan from all three men. "Did Riku at least get in a decent hit?" asked Cloud.

"He nailed his left thigh," replied Zack. "Clearly, he's hesitant to kill his father…we can't fault him for-"

"Yes, we can." The blonde man turned his head to shout, "Riku! This isn't the time for-"

"Squall!" Riku called as he raised a hand toward the three men, and his older lover was surrounded by a heart of white light, which destroyed the Heatless that were about to strike him from behind. "Watch out!"

The Gunblade wielder turned and destroyed a few more Heatless before looking in the boy's direction again.

It seemed that both Riku and Sephiroth had cast Shadow Flare, and both were currently dodging and deflecting the dark orbs from the other's spell.

Leon took the opportunity of having the man too distracted to open a path for more Heartless to attempt to plough through the ones preventing him from aiding his young lover. Through the corner of his eye, the scarred man saw Zack and Cloud move in to hold off the villains.

Sephiroth and Riku called upon their swords again as Leon tried to cut his way through the throng of Heartless. Sephiroth cast a Firaga Wall to limit the boy's movements.

The silvered adolescent glanced at Leon before throwing another Dark Aura past Sephiroth at something behind the Gunblade wielder. The steel-eyed man spun around to attack three more Heartless. When he turned back around, his world slowed to a crawl.

Sephiroth had gotten in a solid strike while Leon's back was turned, and as Riku stumbled backwards while grapping his injured arm, Masamune pierced through the side of his lower abdomen.

Leon was only vaguely aware of his own legs pressing to run to the boy as he heard Zack scream Riku's name. When Sephiroth tried to turn, Riku grabbed a hold of the winged man's blade before he could withdraw it. Ignoring the new injuries to his hands, the cyan-eyed boy held tight.

Sephiroth spun around to face the adolescent once more, and grabbed the boy's throat with his free hand. Leon heard the man's voice drift toward him but could not make out any words.

Riku raised his head to meet the man's eyes without releasing the sword. "Please… Stop…" he whispered as tears began to glide down his cheeks. Leon could no longer hear the boy's voice when his lips formed the word _please_ again.

Sephiroth's back was facing Leon, but the scarred man knew that his expression must have changed, as the pain in Riku's expressive eyes intensified.

Then, the winged-man's gloved hand moved up to gently caress the boy's cheek before both Sephiroth and Masamune vanished in a cloud of darkness.

Time and sound returned to their usual standards as Riku's knees gave out and Leon called the boy's name. The scarred man skidded onto his own knees to catch the teen before he struck the ground.

"Riku," Leon repeated, looking down at his young love's silver hair as he blinked back tears. The boy's face was pressed into his chest. "Riku…please, say-"

"S-squall…" the silvered boy murmured, and Leon could feel his lips move against his chest.

"Riku…" The sable-haired man sighed and tightened his grip, "Can you heal this?"

"N-no," whispered the cyan-eyed boy. "…too weak…right now…"

"Cloud's getting Aerith," Zack stated as he dropped onto his knees beside Leon and Riku. "The Heartless disappeared right after Seph, and the flames even retreated a little. The others have that under control."

Leon barely nodded in response as he stroked Riku's hair.

The violet-eyed man placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "He'll be alright, Leon. He has hyper healing and he's gotten knocked around before."

"I'll…be okay…" Riku whispered as he gripped the waistband of Leon's pyjama pants. He tilted his head slightly to rest it against Leon's chest more comfortably. The scarred man could still feel tears on the boy's cheek. "…Don't worry…"

"Aer is almost here," said Zack as he looked past Leon. "She'll heal him up enough to cast that crazy healing spell of his and then we'll be arguing to get him to take it easy for the next few days."

Leon released a relieved and nervous chuckle, and then dropped his head atop the boy's, "Don't ever do anything like that again."

He felt Riku's mouth form a half-hearted smirk. "You know…I will…"

"Fine…then I'll just have to never let you out of my sight," replied Leon.

"I can take a few shifts for you," offered Zack.

Leon nodded again before he kissed the top of the silvered head below him.


	177. Old Fart

_Prompt: Old Fart_

_Given by: Anon-echo_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Leon/Riku, Zack/Aerith, Cid/Shera_

* * *

"Hey, Jailbait," Cid called over his shoulder without halting his typing. "You want to saunter over here and look at something for me?"

"Sorry, old timer," Riku replied without looking up from the schematic he was studying. "I'm taken, and I actually do have an age cut off…"

Leon turned from the cyan-eyed boy to glance across the table at Zack, "Should I be insulted by that?"

"Of course not," replied the violet-eyed man. "That means you're still young enough to fit his standards."

"Seriously kid," said the Gummi pilot. "Get your ass over here…I have no idea what this shit is supposed to mean."

"Well don't feel too bad," answered Riku as he stood after offering Leon a soft smile and squeezing his hand. "I hear that isn't uncommon among the elderly…"

Leon smirked as he watched the boy cross the room, Zack chuckled, and Aerith pressed her face into the former SOLDIER's shoulder to muffle her laughter.

"Aw, is it past your nap time, Sport?" asked Cid in a tone that suggested he was speaking to a toddler. "I hear that can make the little ones cranky."

"I'm past nap-time age," replied the silvered adolescent, "But you're almost old enough to get them again, aren't you? That actually could explain a lot of your grouchiness…"

"No, that's just one of those things you'll understand when you grow up," retorted Cid. "It's like voting, smoking; drinking, and growing facial hair…you'll just have to wait, Son."

Leon's smirk grew as he turned to Zack again. Aerith's face was still pressed into his shoulder while her own shoulders shook with the laughter she was hiding. Zack smiled, "When did this start?"

"I have no idea," replied the scarred man. "I guess its part of their weird bond…"

"Here, scoot over Pops," said Riku as he lightly hit Cid's shoulder with the back of a hand. "…Better leave this to someone whose memory is still sharp."

"You know, if you keep this up, I might have to tell whoever stands in as your parent these days to ground you." Cid pushed his wheeled chair away while Riku leaned over to read the monitor, then he began typing away on the computer. "Although 'Pops' is better than 'Gramps' at least…"

"Did Sora call you that?" asked the cyan-eyed teen.

"Yeah…little brat," muttered the Gummi mechanic.

Riku snorted, "And he tells people I'm the rude one…"

"You did insult an emperor, Kiddo," stated Cid.

"I didn't _insult _him," replied the silver-haired boy. "I was just blunt in my explanations…I couldn't tell him who I was and there wasn't time for that j-"

"Watch your language, boy," interrupted Cid. This earned him a blank stare from the three adults seated at the table behind him.

"I wasn't going to swear," retorted the adolescent. "I was saying 'jargon', not what you were thinking."

"Oh…well, I get what you mean anyway, Kid," state the Gummi pilot. "Sometimes there just isn't enough time to follow protocol…of course, most of the others will probably argue that."

"To an extent," replied Leon. Zack nodded and Aerith shrugged.

"Actually…" Riku glanced at the blonde man before returning his attention to the computer. "You do sort of remind me of Sora's grandfather…the crotchety old fart…"

Leon arched an eyebrow at the last words the adolescent murmured and then shared a suspicious glance with Zack.

"You fucking serious?" asked Cid. "I never would have guessed that."

"I only met him a couple times," stated the silvered teen with a shrug. "He didn't like me very much."

"Why not?" asked Zack with a frown.

"He thought I was too…I don't know, effeminate I guess," answered the cyan-eyed boy. "Sora's dad figured it was just because I didn't have a man around while I grew up…I don't think that's it though…"

"Of course not," replied Aerith sympathetically. "You weren't turned gay or effeminate…it's just a part of who you are, and we love you for _you_. They shouldn't have held it against you in any case."

"I don't think they actually figured out I was gay," stated Riku. "That really isn't taken well on the islands…but thanks."

"I don't think I'd go so far as to call you effeminate anyway," stated Zack. "You just look a little androgynous…"

"Effeminate means looking, acting, or sounding as a girl or woman is expected, Honey," said Aerith.

"Oh, thanks for clearing that up, Aer," the raven-haired man responded. "I take that back then…"

Leon chuckled at the slight glare Riku shot in Zack's direction. Aerith was giving her boyfriend a similar look as the adolescent.

"Quit picking on the youngster anyway," grumbled Cid; "It ain't his fault he looks like a girl, just look at his parents…he didn't stand a chance at looking masculine."

"Gee, thanks," commented Riku dryly just before he straightened. "There, I'm finished. Think you can handle it from here, old man?"

"Sure thing, Kid," replied the Gummi mechanic as he returned to the computer. "I was working on these things while you were still a gleam in your parents' handcuffs."

Zack choked on his coffee, Aerith patted his back as she muffled a chuckle with the other hand. Leon arched an eyebrow.

"I didn't know computers were around that long," remarked the adolescent as he returned to his seat beside Leon. "Of course, they probably required twice as much work and you had to walk ten miles uphill in the snow to get to them, right?"

"Damn straight," commented Cid. "Or not in your case, I guess…"

"Hey, aren't you the one who was just telling us to be nice to the kid?" demanded Zack.

"I'm allowed to," replied the Gummi pilot with a smirk. "It's one of the perks of being the oldest."

"Matron, the Headmaster, and Vincent are older than you," stated Zack.

"And are any of them here?" asked Cid.

"Er…no," replied the violet-eyed man.

"Then shut your trap," commented the blonde man.

"Yeah, you're not supposed to argue with your elders," added Riku with a smirk. "In The Land of Dragons, the elderly are revered and looked up to."

"Just 'cause you're not even half my age doesn't make me the elderly," grumbled Cid. "You're just a baby."

"You know, this conversation is actually starting to disturb me," commented Leon.

"That's 'cause you're the one screwing the baby, you damned paedophile," remarked the Gummi pilot.

Leon glanced at Aerith, "And you wonder why I don't join their conversations more often."

"I didn't know they mostly consisted of bantering each other about age," replied the green-eyed woman.

"Well, it's just as interesting as most of the crap you talk about," muttered Cid as he headed towards the door. "I'm picking up some more cigarettes, anyone need anything?"

After a general negative from the other four people, the Gummi mechanic left.

"So what else do you talk to him about?" asked Leon as he slid an arm around the teen's waist.

"Yeah, he answered that way too quickly," added Zack.

"Nothing too important," replied Riku. Then the boy grinned, "But he does have surprisingly good taste in literature…"


	178. Song

_Prompt: Song_

_Given by: Anon-echo_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Leon/Riku_

* * *

Leon rolled over in bed, still mostly asleep as he felt for the slightly smaller body that should have been in the bed with him. Before he could pull himself into full consciousness, or even mumble Riku's name, the bed shifted as the desired boy climbed back into bed.

Without saying anything, Leon shifted and pulled the boy close, wrapping his arms around the sylphlike form. He felt Riku nestle against him before he felt a soft vibration against his chest as the silvered adolescent began singing softly.

"_It's amazing how you can speak right to my heart…Without saying a word you can light up the dark…"_

The cyan-eyed boy gently kissed the scarred man's chest before turning his head to rest it against the man's heart. Leon brushed back some of the boy's hair before enveloping the teenager in his arms again.

"_Try as I may, I could never explain…what I hear when you don't say a thing…_"

Leon smiled softly as he felt Riku's hair glide against his bare torso when the boy shifted to look up at him. He felt Riku's fingertips trail over his sides before the boy's hands rested on his chest. Leon sang the next couple of lines quietly.

"_The smile on your face lets me know that you need me…There's a truth in your eyes, saying you'll never leave me…_"

Leon smiled deeper as he opened his eyes and looked down at his young lover while tightening his grip on the adolescent. Riku wore a faint smile as cyan eyes met steel blue and the boy softly sang out the rest of the chorus.

"_The touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall…You say it best, when you say nothing at all…_"

Leon dipped his head down to capture the boy's supple lips just after he released the final note. When they parted, both were still smiling. Then, Leon caught the scent of breakfast and glanced over to see a tray on the bedside table.

"What's all this?" asked the Gunblade wielder.

Instead of looking disappointed or nervous, as Leon had feared, Riku's soft smile deepened. "One year ago today, we met for the first time…I wanted to do something special to celebrate one of the most important days of my life."

Leon stroked the boy's slender back. "Of our lives, you mean."

Riku raised his chin to kiss Leon again. He ran his fingers through Leon's hair after they parted, "Come on, breakfast is going to get cold."

"What time is it?" asked Leon as he sat up and Riku placed the tray before him. He glanced at the clock; it was half past six. "How long ago did you get up to make this?"

"Not too long," answered the silver-haired boy as he picked up a muffin. "I set up everything that could be done ahead of time last night. You said you wanted to get to that new project by nine…so I figured I'd have to start early."

"You set this up _and _planned it around it around my schedule?" questioned the sable-haired man with a small smile. "Shiva, I should be more thankful for this day than you are…"

Riku shrugged, "I think I have more reason to be, but…whatever…"

Leon chuckled as he picked up his fork, "You have definitely spent some quality time with me over the past year…"

"You laugh more now," commented the teenager. "You rarely even smiled at first."

"Well, neither did you," replied the scarred man. "And you didn't have the number of years I have to become bitter over."

"I'd had enough," Riku said quietly, "You made that better though…"

Leon smiled again and stroked the boy's cheek, "And why do you think I've started laughing and smiling more over the past year? It wasn't the restoration project and it certainly wasn't the Heartless…"

Riku looked down and fingered a loose thread in the bed sheet. "Do you ever wish none of that had happened? Even if-"

"No," interrupted the scarred man evenly. "We wouldn't have met then, and even if we somehow did, we wouldn't be who we are. I wouldn't change a thing. I hate what you had to go through and I wish I could do more to help you heal from all of that, but it ultimately made you the person I want to be with."

Riku looked up, eyes saying more than words ever could. "I feel the same way…thank you."

Leon smiled, "The computers can wait, why don't you come out the site with me today?"

"Okay," answered the adolescent. "That sounds good."

"Good," Leon pulled the boy onto his knees as he raised himself up. "But right now, I think we have a song to finish…and I normally only sing in the shower." He stepped away from the bed and called over his shoulder, "Coming?"

Riku was already behind him. He felt the boy's hand slip into his own as he smiled again.


	179. Chocobo

_Prompt: Chocobo_

_Given by: Anon-echo_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Leon/Riku_

* * *

Sora, Riku, Leon, and Cloud stepped off a small Gummi ship after landing in a clearing near Travia Garden.

"So where was this monster supposedly sighted?" asked Cloud.

"A few miles northwest of here," replied Leon.

"Which way is Northwest?" questioned Sora.

Riku arched an eyebrow as he pointed. "You did all that travelling and still have no sense of direction?" asked the cyan-eyed adolescent as he and Sora turned in the direction he had indicated.

"That's what navigation Gummis are for," replied the spiky-haired teen. "I have no idea how you got anywhere in those dark corridors…I had no clue where I was or where I was going during the little time I spent in them."

"That would be where his sense of direction and unique sense of smell came in," commented Leon dryly as he and Cloud fell in behind the two boys.

"Oh yeah…good point," said the blue-eyed teen.

Riku and Cloud chuckled and Leon shook his head as the group continued walking through the woods.

The two teens continued conversing as they noticed plants and animals unfamiliar to them. Riku remained quiet even while speaking, and Sora was clearly _trying _to be quiet but had less success than his best friend did.

Suddenly both adolescents stopped walking and stepped back. Leon scanned the woods before them and placed a hand on Riku's hip as the boy's body abruptly pressed against his own. Cloud squinted as one of Sora's spikes poked him in the eye and grabbed the boy's shoulder to prevent him from falling over when he tripped on Cloud's foot.

"What is it?" Leon asked quietly, now glancing at Riku.

"What happened?" Cloud asked at the same time, eyes flicking between the two Keyblade wielders.

Both teens twisted to glance back at the men behind them in confusion before looking at each other and then turning their attention back to a point in the woods ahead. "I was going to ask the same thing…" Riku said to Leon over his shoulder.

"Do they not see that or something?" asked Sora.

"I think they're just used to it," replied the silver-haired boy.

Leon and Cloud shared a confused glance before following the teens' gazes. All they could see were trees, bushes, rocks, a few squirrels, and a Chocobo scout digging in the dirt.

Suddenly, the Gunblade wielder smirked slightly and stroked Riku's hip with his thumb. "There aren't Chocobos on Destiny Islands."

"What's a cocoa bow?" asked Sora.

"Chocobo," corrected Leon. "That large galliform bird is called a Chocobo. They're found in the woods on most of the continents on Radiant Garden. There aren't any near the city of Radiant Garden though, that's probably why you haven't seen them before now."

"In all the travelling you two did over the past year and a half, neither of you ever saw a Chocobo?" asked Cloud.

"Did you see any on any of the other worlds you travelled to?" questioned Riku.

Blonde eyebrows drew in thought, "Actually, no…"

Sora snorted and the large bird looked up inquisitively before returning to his former task of searching for grubs. "It's kind of cool," said the blue-eyed boy as he returned to watching the Chocobo.

Riku nodded as he too watched the bird bobbing along a line of bushes ahead of them.

"In some places, they tame Chocobos and even ride them," commented Cloud.

"Really…That's cool," Sora responded, and then he grinned broadly. "I want to ride one…"

"These ones aren't tame, Sora," said the former SOLDIER. "It would be pretty embarrassing to have one of the Keyblade's chosen wielders get his ass kicked by a fuzzy yellow bird."

The spiky-haired boy frowned. "Yeah, I'd never hear the end of that one back home…"

"You'd never hear the end of it here either," retorted the blue-eyed man, getting a nod from the brunette in response.

"I think we should move on now," said Leon, giving Riku's side a gentle stroke before removing his hand from the boy. "We do have a monster to track down."

"Hey, could this be the monster?" asked Sora.

"I doubt it…It sounds like everyone here knows the difference between a Chocobo and a monster," replied Riku.

"They should," agreed Leon. "Besides, this definitely doesn't fit the description, and the damage this monster supposedly did couldn't have been caused by even a heard of Chocobos."

"How did we end up being the world's monster exterminators again?" questioned Cloud as the group began walking once more.

"Who else is going to do it?" asked Riku simply.

"It was bound to be someone from your group," added Sora. "You guys sort of take care of everything…you're like this world's heroes…"

Cloud snorted and Leon smirked as he shook his head.

"Seriously," stated the spiky-haired teen. "I mean, me and Riku are the heroes of the _worlds_, but each world has their own personal heroes in it too…you guys are this world's."

"I think you have the top spot all to yourself," commented the silvered adolescent. "Although I wish Mickey received more credit for all that he did."

"Do you care that you don't receive any acknowledgment for everything you did to save the worlds?" asked Leon.

"No," replied the cyan-eyed boy without a second's hesitation. "I prefer my anonymousness to Sora's fame any day."

"Maybe Mickey feels the same way," stated the scarred man. "He's been around more than long enough to have his name renowned if that's what he wanted."

"You're right…That's just not Mickey's style," said Riku with a small grin.

Sora suddenly perked up again. Unfortunately, he also stopped abruptly, causing Cloud to be poked in the eye again. The spiky-haired adolescent spoke without noticing this detail. "Hey, when we're done killing the monster-"

"We might not actually have to kill anything, you know," interrupted the cyan-eyed teen. "We still don't even know what this 'monster' is…a moment ago you thought it was a Chocobo."

"Okay, but when we're done with whatever it is," continued the blue-eyed boy easily, "Can we go to one of those places Cloud was talking about?"

"Huh?" questioned the blonde man as Leon arched an eyebrow beside him.

"Where they have tamed Chocobos," explained Riku.

"Ah," said the former SOLDIER as Leon smiled at his young lover. "Thanks for the translation."

"So can we?" asked Sora. "I want to try riding one."

"Sure, I know of a place near Edea's old home where we can rent some by the hour," stated the Gunblade wielder.

"Cool, thanks Leon," said Sora with a smile. Then he began talking to Riku about different creatures he had seen during his travels.

"On the way back," stated Cloud, glancing at Leon with a notably red eye, "You're walking behind Sora."

"You're not walking behind Riku," stated the steel-eyed man with a small smirk.

"Why not?" asked the spiky-haired man.

"Because he doesn't want you checking out his butt again," said Sora ahead of them.

Cloud abruptly stopped this time, Riku turned to the blonde with an arched eyebrow, and Leon looked at Sora quizzically.

"Like you weren't thinking that," said the blue-eyed teen as he Riku turned and continued walking. "If _I_ noticed it while we were boarding the Gummi, then there's no way you didn't…"

The two men glanced at one another before catching up to the two adolescents.

"We need to start giving Sora more credit," commented Cloud.

"He isn't the worlds' most notable hero for nothing," stated Riku.

"Yeah, but the only reason they know me is that I'm not as good as discreetness as you are," Sora said, glancing at his best friend.

"You didn't accidentally spill that smoothie on Cloud earlier," replied the silvered boy. "That was fairly discreet."

"Wait; that wasn't an accident?" questioned the blonde man behind them with drawn brows.

"You needed to cool down," replied the spiky-haired boy.

Leon grinned; "We definitely need to start giving Sora more credit." Riku offered his boyfriend a smile over his shoulder. "Sora, your first Chocobo ride is on me," said the scarred man.

"Alright!" The younger brunette beamed and then returned to talking to his friends about Chocobos.


	180. White

_Prompt: White_

_Given by: Katiekins324_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Leon/Riku_

* * *

Riku watched the snow fall down silently as the entire maw turned white. He found that it reminded him of the room Naminé used in the Twilight Town mansion. He had always felt uncomfortable in the pure whiteness of that room. He feared the darkness, but he was also more comfortable in the dark.

"Why are you out here by yourself?" Leon asked as he approached the teenager from behind. "It's been less than two days and you're supposed to be home resting."

The silver-haired boy shrugged and lowered his gaze. "I still can't figure it out."

The Gunblade wielder glanced down at the boy. "Cloud and I can't figure it out either…but Zack has a theory he's not letting go of."

The adolescent did not look up or move. "You don't think he's right?"

"I don't want to," replied the steel-eyed man. "Neither of us knows what to do about it. We…I…-"

"It scares you," stated the cyan-eyed boy quietly. He turned and looked up at the scarred man. "What is it?"

The steel-eyed man wrapped an arm around the teen's waist and gently pulled him closer. "He thinks he was after you. The Heartless and the fire were diversions."

Riku looked puzzled for a moment, "Aren't you both forgetting that he left me there? After he very nearly killed me…"

"That only worries me more," said the sable-haired man. "I know it's not for me to decide, but until he has control, I don't want him anywhere near you."

"I don't think he does either," replied the silvered adolescent quietly with a thoughtful expression.

Leon's brow furrowed slightly in confusion for a moment, before he looked at the boy in concern as he wrapped the other arm around him. "…It wasn't Sephiroth that wanted you."

The cyan-eyed boy looked slightly hurt by the previous statement before he turned his gaze away and replied softly, "His eyes changed after I said 'please'…then he just left."

The scarred man frowned and stroked the boy's side. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean-"

"I know," interrupted the adolescent. "What I don't know is what I expected…"

"…You expected the father you remember to still be in there somewhere," stated Leon gently as he brushed back some of the boy's hair. "…And he was. It's not easy to find you or defeat you in a battle. If he wanted you dead or weak for something, that was his best chance. However, if he doesn't want to hurt you but he can't fight her for long, then leaving was the best thing he could have done to help you." The scarred man sighed and pulled the teen against him. "I still don't trust him…especially when it comes to you."

Riku returned the embrace and answered evenly. "You shouldn't… He isn't who Zack and I remember right now. I don't know if he ever will be…"

"…But you aren't going to try to kill him next time either," questioned the Gunblade wielder, although it sounded more like a statement.

"That depends on the circumstances," replied the adolescent sadly. "I would have killed him this time, if he had continued going after you…and Zack and Cloud. I just-"

"You don't want him to die," the steel-eyed man finished for the boy. "You shouldn't be the one who has to if it does come to that."

"I'll do what I have to," Riku said quietly but firmly. "I'm good at that."

"I know," replied Leon, stroking the boy's back and looking out at the maw. "I just hope you don't have to face this one alone."

"If I do, I'll be okay," stated the cyan-eyed boy softly. He took a half step back and turned his head to gaze at the maw as well. "I'm good at that too."

The Gunblade wielder looked at the boy he was still loosely embracing. The regret and pained resignation in the teen's expressive eyes made him feel both relieved and heartbroken.

Riku responded to the scarred man's thoughts without even having to glance at him. "Don't worry Squall, it will either happen or it won't…there doesn't seem to be anything we can do about it now."

The steel-eyed man shook his head slightly. "Its times like this that I have to remind myself you're only sixteen…you're wiser than any other teenager I've ever met."

The silvered adolescent returned his gaze to the sable-haired man. "We're you that different ten years ago?"

"I suppose not," answered Leon, tucking some of the boy's hair behind his ear. "I'm still hoping it will be easier to get you to rest like you're supposed to than I would have been."

The cyan-eyed teen backed out of the man's arms but gripped one of his hands before they could both fall to his sides. "Then let's go home. All this white is depressing me anyway…"

Leon intertwined their fingers as he turned to lead the boy home. Riku knew his boyfriend was noting everything he had just told him, directly and indirectly, and that the scarred man was still trying to think of a way to prevent him from having to face the next challenge that destiny was preparing to throw at him.

Riku stroked Leon's palm with his thumb and offered the scarred man a soft smile when looked over. Leon squeezed the boy's hand gently and smiled back slightly.

Riku watched the snow fall down silently as they walked home, but he found that it did not make him as sad as it had when he left earlier.


	181. Black

_Prompt: Black_

_Given by: Katiekins324_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Implied Leon/Riku; Post-Zack/Aerith, Post-Sephiroth/OC_

_Author's note: This story is a follow-up of Advent._

* * *

Riku finished transferring all the data he was able to recover from the old broken computer he had repaired onto his travel drive. The cyan-eyed boy was just about to move onto a set of old and worn filing cabinets when he sensed someone approaching. 

While he did not recognise the presence as anyone he could recall, the silvered adolescent found that it was decidedly familiar. Riku turned to face whoever was approaching, wondering if he should feel as calm as he did.

After a moment, Riku realised that most people did not sense or smell approaching individuals and that the unknown man, who was in the room by now, probably thought he had entered undetected. "I know you're there," the silver-haired boy said softly, looking in the direction he knew the man was hiding. Although he looked calm, the Keyblade wielder prepared to be attacked just in case.

After another brief moment, a tall and rather broad man stepped out from behind several tanks on the other end of the dusty room. He looked to be in his late twenties, although something caused Riku to believe he was older than that. The man had black hair and abnormally bright violet eyes.

The raven-haired man studied the silvered teen as he slowly approached, looking as though he were working out the last pieces of a complicated puzzle. "Riku…?"

"You know me?" asked the adolescent quietly.

"Yes, I- I was a friend of your father's…of both your parents really," replied the violet-eyed man. "Damn, how long have I been AWOL? You have to be at least fifteen… What are you doing here? Where is Hilargi? You shouldn't be by yourself; this place is dangerous. How did you even get here?"

"I'm sixteen, I can take care of myself, and I'll answer your other questions after you tell me who you are and why you're here," Riku responded calmly as he tried to avoid the taller male's gaze in a casual manner. He did not want to give away too much until he knew if he could truly trust this man…even though something inside of him already did.

The tall man grinned slightly at the cyan-eyed boy. "Your parents would be so proud right now. I'm Zack Fair. I was a SOLDIER First Class and I served under your father…I also became very close friends with him and later your mother as well. I took a couple friends of mine named Cloud and Tifa and fled this world when the Heartless took over. A year later, I was fighting alongside them on a world that disappeared and I guess I disappeared with it. I suddenly woke up not too far from here about a year ago…that must have been about eight or nine years after I disappeared if you're sixteen already…Anyway, I came here to see if I could find some sign of either of your parents, Cloud and Tifa, or one of our other friends from SOLDIER."

"Where exactly is here?" asked the silver-haired boy.

A black eyebrow arched slightly. "You don't know? You're in one of Shinra's old labs in the ruins of Midgar. It's on Radiant Garden, but about as far from the capitol as you can get. Hojo started working for Shinra after Ansem the Wise banished him from his city for some of the experiments he was running, but that's not important right now. Did you end up here the same way I did? Are you okay?" Looking concerned, the former SOLDIER took a few more steps toward the teenager, but stopped immediately when Riku took a half step back. "I won't hurt you Riku…in fact, right about now I'm thinking I need to go hurt whoever it was that obviously did."

"Someone brought me here…I think he used to know my father too," stated the silver-haired boy, still not meeting Zack's eyes. "He was almost as tall as you, with hair and eyes like my mother's and a black wing like my father. He kept calling me 'little one'…"

"That's definitely Genesis," stated the raven-haired man. "He didn't hurt you did he? He really wasn't in his right mind the last time I saw him. Where did he take you from?"

"I think he still isn't in his right mind. I was in Radiant Garden, in Ansem the Wise's old castle. I moved to Radiant Garden a few months ago," said Riku, glancing around the room. "The islands I grew up on disappeared a few months before you woke up. Long story short; I screwed up, but after I realised that, my best friend and I closed the door to darkness and that's when all the worlds were restored and you came back."

"Why did it take you this long to return to Radiant Garden?" questioned Zack, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "And you still haven't answered my original questions. I answered yours, wasn't that the deal?"

The corner of Riku's mouth turned up slightly, but quickly returned to a more serious expression as he answered the man's previous questions. "Genesis brought me here through a dark corridor from Ansem's old castle. Cloud was there too. He, Tifa, and most of their friends are back in Radiant Garden. Squall…er, you might know him as Leon, is heading a big reconstruction project. I moved here to help with it, but I didn't actually know which world I was from until recently. My father and Genesis have been following me lately, and I don't know why. They never show themselves…until Genesis did when he brought me here. I don't know much about what happened here…with all of you. I came here looking for answers."

"So Seph and Genesis still haven't recovered themselves…I was hoping that wouldn't be the case," stated the former SOLDIER. "Do Cloud and Squall know about Seph and Genesis tracking you? Why did Cloud let him take you here by yourself? Does that mean that Aerith is alright? Why are you referring to Ansem the Wise like an old friend? Why did you and your friend have to save the worlds anyway? …And you still haven't told me where Hilargi is."

"You ask a lot of questions," commented the silvered adolescent.

"I've been basically dead for like nine years; I think I'm entitled to," replied the violet-eyed man, leaning against a dusty desk.

"Fair enough," stated Riku as he relaxed his own posture slightly. "Squall knows as much as I did when I left. Cloud seems to know when my father is near and I don't see why Genesis would be any different, so he probably knows…I haven't actually talked to him about any of it though. He was nearby, but not literally there when I left with Genesis. If I stayed, he and my father would have just fought again anyway. Aerith is fine. Cid took her, Squall, and Yuffie away from this world when you took Cloud and Tifa. I knew Ansem the Wise -as DiZ, but that's another long story- for the year between the time my friend and I recovered the worlds, up until a few months ago. I didn't know him as a ruler, just as DiZ."

Riku sighed and hooked a thumb into his pants pocket as he dropped his head a little more. "My friends Sora and Mickey, and I are the Keyblade's chosen wielders, so we had to be the ones to close the door. All of that is a long story that I don't particularly like telling, so if you stick around long enough then I'll tell you some other time, okay?"

"Okay," replied Zack, watching the teenager intently. "Why aren't you answering about your mother and why aren't you letting me see your eyes?"

"Force of habit…I've hidden my eyes for so long that it's become second nature," answered the cyan-eyed boy, still making no effort to break said habit. "Mom was there when the islands disappeared…her heart was weak…physically, I mean. She didn't make it. I'm sorry…"

Violet eyes watered up as the former SOLDIER dropped his arms while quickly closing the distance between him and the cyan-eyed boy. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I wasn't able to save any of you…but I have second chance now, right?" Zack smiled slightly as he cupped the boy's chin with one hand and lifted his face until he could see Riku's eyes. His smile vanished as he looked into the once-familiar cyan spheres, which were even more expressive than he remembered. "You really have been through some nightmare, haven't you?" the raven-haired man questioned sadly.

The silvered adolescent turned his face away as he took a step back. "I don't think Genesis is coming back anytime soon. I'm just going to check those last files and then I'm going to start looking for a way home as well as a way to contact Squall. Are you heading home too…?"

The violet-eyed man smiled slightly, "Yeah, I am. Will you let me travel with you?" Riku nodded and the smile increased. "So why Squall?"

"Excuse me?" asked the silver-haired boy.

"If most of the old gang is back home, why is Squall the one you single out to contact?" asked Zack.

"Because he'll be the most concerned and he'll notify anyone else who cares that I'm fine," replied the teenager steadily.

The raven-haired man chuckled slightly, "Wow, I knew someone would crack that icy heart one day, but I never saw this one coming…isn't the age difference a bit of an issue?"

"It would be if we were actually together," replied the adolescent quietly.

"Ah, so he's still skirting the issue," stated the former SOLDIER. "Don't worry, he'll come around. Say, is Aerith with anyone these days?"

"You mean has she replaced you?" questioned Riku with a slight smirk. "No. She tried it with Cloud but it didn't work out."

"Aerith and Spiky…? Of course that didn't work out…What were they thinking?" questioned the violet-eyed man in response. "Okay, I'll worry about all of that later…Right now I think we need to get out of here."

"Why?" asked the cyan-eyed boy. "No one's coming…"

"I know, but I really don't want you to get hit with all of this at once," replied Zack seriously. "Please, just trust me on this one, Kid. I don't know your full story, but neither Angeal, Genesis, nor Seph reacted well to the kind of information you're looking for. Wait until you've got Squall and me backing you…you're going to need as much emotional support as you can get and even then, no one should learn all of this at once." Violet eyes fixed on the boy in concern, "Please, trust me Riku…"

Riku raised his eyes to meet Zack's for a moment before he answered softly. "Please don't give me a reason not to…" The teenager glanced around the room slowly before returning his gaze to the black-haired man. "Okay, let's go home."

Zack smiled at the boy. "Alright…do they have phones working there yet and if so, do you know Squall's number?" Riku nodded and the former SOLDIER pulled a cell phone from his pocket. "Great; this is old but it works…give him a call and tell him to send Cid here on one of those damn Gummies…"


	182. Blue

_Prompt: Blue_

_Given by: Katiekins324_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Pre-Leon/Riku, Pre-Zack/Aerith; Implied post-Sephiroth/OC_

* * *

"Squall," called Zack before he excused himself from Aerith to catch up to the younger man; "Hang on a minute."

"It's Leon," remarked the scarred man evenly as he paused.

"Oh yeah, sorry Leon," said the former SOLDIER. "I didn't mean anything by it."

"I know," replied the steel-eyed man. He glanced behind Zack when the other made no response. "Looks like things are going well for you and Aerith."

"Yeah, I think we're going to try to pick up where we left off," stated the violet-eyed man as he glanced back at the green-eyed woman, who was walking away to meet up with Tifa and Yuffie.

"Did you call me for a reason?" questioned Leon as the two men began walking in the direction the sable-haired man had been headed before Zack hailed him.

"Yes," answered the raven-haired man. "Did you spar with Riku yesterday or the evening before?"

Leon glanced at his old friend, "No, why?"

Instead of answering, Zack asked another question. "Have you…gotten intimate, and maybe a bit rough, with him recently?"

The Gunblade wielder's head snapped in Zack's direction. "Of course not; Riku's still just a kid. There isn't anything between us. …And if there ever is, I certainly wouldn't be rough with him."

Zack nodded absently, his thoughts clearly elsewhere. "There is something between you, it's just that neither of you have acted on it. I'm glad to know you would be careful with him though…"

"He's ten years my junior, Zack," commented Leon firmly as he looked straight ahead again.

"In case you've forgotten, it's almost the same with Aerith and me. I just didn't age for a few years," replied Zack.

"She was still of legal consent," stated the scarred man. "And she doesn't have the issues he does. I don't want to add to that."

"Maybe you'd help lighten the burden," the former SOLDIER responded. "You know, just before I disappeared and I knew it was all over, I only wished that I had had more time with Aerith. You might want to think about that."

"Is this what you followed me for?" asked the sable-haired man.

"No," replied Zack, gaining an unusually serious expression and tone, "I already asked Cloud, and he hasn't sparred with Riku lately either. Neither have I, and I think we're the only ones in town who can beat that kid."

Leon stopped abruptly and turned to face Zack. "What are you saying…? Did something happen to Riku?"

"Well he isn't talking, but he has black and blue marks all over his body…they're pretty bad too," answered the violet-eyed man in concern.

"He's been moving gingerly since yesterday morning," commented Leon thoughtfully. "I asked him about it, but he said he's just sore. I assumed it was from training and working so hard…I didn't see any marks."

"His clothes hide them well enough," responded Zack. "My first thought was that he was keeping them because he thought he deserved them or maybe he simply doesn't take the time to heal bruises…but after watching him as well as I could today, I think he's still too weak from whatever caused it to heal them."

Steel blue eyes narrowed slightly, "If they're hidden by his clothes, then how did you see them?"

A black eyebrow quirked and the corner of Zack's lips twitched upward briefly. "If you aren't going to claim him, then you have to expect that someone else will…but not me." The seriousness returned to the former SOLDIER. "I'm not used to tiptoeing around people. I walked in on him while he was changing this morning. He moved too quickly for me to inspect the marks closely, but it looks like he was slammed against something jagged…hard and repeatedly at that. I'm pretty sure I saw some fingerprints too."

Leon's eyes narrowed further. "One of them confronted him again. It's the only thing Riku would keep from me…he doesn't want Sephiroth killed and he knows me better than I'd like to admit. If Sephiroth has hurt Riku, then I'm not going to stay neutral about him. What about you?"

"I don't want Sephiroth to die either," stated the violet-eyed man sadly. He continued with a resolute tone, "But if I have to choose which one I'm going to protect, I'm choosing Riku. If I have to die all over again, I am not letting anything happen to that kid."

"Good," The steel-eyed man responded with a nod. "Can you keep Cloud under control?"

"For the most part, yeah," replied the raven-haired man, looking slightly confused by the abrupt question.

"Then fill him in as much as you can without him going berserk," stated the Gunblade wielder. "If Sephiroth or Genesis tries anything, we're going to need him on the same page as us. I'm going to find out what happened to Riku. I'll call you tonight and we'll fill each other in."

Zack shook his head slightly. "Man, you would have done well in SOLDIER. We are so lucky Hojo never noticed you."

Leon shrugged and turned to walk away. "…Whatever."

"Ah, there's the Squall I used to know," stated the former SOLDIER before he called after the other man, stopping him once again. "Hey, how are you going to find out about Riku?"

"I'm going to find him, ask him about the bruises, and refuse to accept anything but a full explanation," answered the Gunblade wielder. "He's usually very honest with me."

"Okay, I'm going to find Cloud," replied Zack as he turned to look for his friend. "And when we get this settled, I'm bringing up how protective you're being of the kid," he called over his shoulder.

The violet-eyed man quickly sobered as he and Leon walked in opposite directions. He knew that he would have to face a difficult decision soon. He only hoped following that decision was as easy as he made it sound.


	183. Miscreant

_Prompt: Miscreant_

_Given by: catchmeloon_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Leon/Riku, Zack/Aerith, Tifa/Rude_

* * *

"Er…Squall? Those are naga chillies," stated Riku as he looked at the pile of vegetables next to the cutting board the scarred man was currently using. "They're way too hot for salsa…especially with the jalapeños already in there..." 

"Oh, those are just for garnish," commented the steel-eyed man calmly. "Don't worry about it."

Before the cyan-eyed boy could question the statement, Zack dropped a hand on his shoulder and grinned down at the teen. "Hey Riku, I think you've worked enough for one day. Why don't you let Leon finish dinner and come with me. I found something when I was going through all my old stuff that I think will interest you."

The silvered adolescent turned his attention to the former SOLDIER. "Okay…Squall, are-"

The sable-haired man waved absently as he smiled at the boy. "Go on, I did cook for myself for years before you came along, you know."

"Okay, thanks," Riku called over his shoulder with a slight grin as Zack steered him around to lead him out of the kitchen.

The violet-eyed man offered Leon a discreet wink as he closed the door behind him. The Gunblade wielder's smile gave way to a subtle smirk in response before he schooled his features to his usual indifferent expression and continued chopping vegetables.

Half an hour later, Tifa, Rude, and Reno entered the kitchen and greeted the sable-haired man.

"Where are Zack and Aerith?" asked Tifa. "I thought they were going to beat us here for sure."

"They did," replied Leon as he set several ramekins of salsa on a tray along with a bowl of chips. "Aerith is setting the table and Zack took Riku to show him something…they should be back soon."

"Ah, I wondered where the kid was," replied the mahogany-eyed woman as she headed toward the dining room. "I'm going to see if Aerith needs a hand."

Leon simply nodded and then glanced at the two Turks standing in his kitchen. "So where's Denzel tonight?"

"At Barret's house; He wanted to spend some more time with Marlene," replied Rude as he picked up the pitchers of chilled lemonade that Riku had left behind. "I'll take these to the table."

The Steel-eyed man nodded his thanks and then glanced at the last person still in the kitchen with him. He slid the last ramekin across the counter toward the redhead. "Here, give this a shot and tell me if there's too much onion. Apparently, I'm immune to it."

Reno chuckled as he grabbed a chip and scooped up a generous amount of salsa. "Yeah, I heard you made Pretty Boy go pale last week, yo."

The Gunblade wielder's eyes hardened as he turned to face the Turk. His voice was dangerously low when he responded. "I heard you did too."

Icy blue eyes took on a slightly calculating look before they suddenly widened as they watered up. Reno turned nearly as red as his hair as he opened his mouth and fanned his face with a hand. He leaned forward and moved to reach for the sink.

Leon stepped toward the redhead calmly and placed a firm hand on Reno's shoulder, stopping the other man's movement and forcing the Turk to remain level with him. "We both know that Riku isn't a girl, a little kid, or incompetent in any way. That said, he's still mine. If you ever touch him again or put him in any situation that makes him uncomfortable, this will seem pleasant compared to how badly I will burn you, regardless of whatever reprimand he deals out first. Is that clear?"

Reno coughed and blinked his rapidly watering eyes before nodding briskly.

The scarred man flipped on the faucet with his free hand before releasing the other man. "Good."

After the redhead drank some water, choked on it, and began fanning his mouth more. Leon smirked slightly. "Milk works better."

Aerith, Tifa, and Rude entered just in time to see the redhead start drinking milk straight from the carton as he supported some of his weight on the door of Leon's refrigerator.

"What did we miss?" asked the green-eyed woman as she looked between the two men in concern and confusion.

"Enough. The other tray is ready to go out if you guys want to eat some salsa while we wait. Not that one though." Leon picked up the one Reno had eaten from and dumped the contents into the garbage disposal.

The corner of Rude's mouth twitched upward as Aerith nodded slowly, picked up the tray, and left the room while Tifa turned to Reno and placed her hands on her hips. "What did you do now?"

The redhead wiped some milk from his mouth and closed the refrigerator door. "Nothing I haven't paid for twice now, yo."

Tifa arched an eyebrow and then turned to Rude. "You see what I'm talking about?" The bald man offered his best friend what appeared to be a warning look before he followed his girlfriend out of the room.

"Hey, don't leave me with him again," complained Reno as he hurried to follow his friend out of the kitchen.

A moment later, Zack and Riku returned just as Leon was about to leave the room as well. The scarred man smiled and draped an arm around the teen's shoulders. "I was beginning to wonder where the hell Zack had taken you."

The raven-haired man smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. "Oh well, once I showed Riku some old photos he wanted to hear the stories that accompanied them. We only stopped when we realised how much time had passed. He'll probably be at my place for most of tomorrow."

"What else needs to be done here?" asked the cyan-eyed boy.

"Everything's already been taken care of," replied Leon as he glanced at Zack, who smirked behind the boy's back and nodded once. "Why don't you go say hey to Tifa? She wondered about you earlier."

The silver-haired teen looked slightly doubting, but kissed the scarred man on the cheek and headed out of the room without question.

Violet eyes met steel blue. "Think the miscreant will heed the warning?"

Leon smirked. "Considering the way he all but ran out of here rather then be left alone with me again, I think I at least established who will win if he tries to continue with this."

"Good," Zack grinned and turned his head to speak over his shoulder as he left the room. "Now it's my turn…"

The smirk remained on Leon's face as he followed his friend out of the room.


	184. Degenerate

_Prompt: Degenerate_

_Given By: Catchmeloon_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Pre-KH_

_Pairing: Implied Pre-Leon/Riku, Past-Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi), & Past-Zack/Aerith_

* * *

Icy blue eyes watched the boy through a long fringe of claret coloured hair that was beginning to streak with white prematurely.

Black wings folded against his still strong body as he sat perched above the window while the boy expertly operated the old computer. The child worked diligently, seeming unaware of who was watching from the shadows, but oddly comfortable with this…as though he were used to it.

It was so much easier with Riku than it had been with Sephiroth. Unlike his father, the child had come here already seeking knowledge. Genesis did not have to plant any questions in his mind. The child already had plenty of his own. The boy also possessed the abilities to find the answers himself, once he was pointed in the right direction.

When the boy moved through the shadows to reach his destination, clearly aware that he was not alone but also that his follower was not yet a threat, Genesis was impressed. When the boy repaired and reprogrammed the old computer without hesitation, he was pleased. When the child's hands began to shake as he read file after file, something began to ache within the winged man. When his old friend's son backed away from the machine, turned, and threw up, the claret-haired man frowned.

Genesis' thoughts began to drift slightly as Riku kneeled on the ground, face downcast and shoulders shaking.

He had not always been this way.

Once he had had good friends and had been a good friend. He had sparred, laughed, and served with Angeal; they would have gladly died for the other. He had given Zack advice on his swordsmanship and dating skills when he started seeing that flower girl. He had quietly supported and even covered for Sephiroth when the General became taken with Hilargi.

That was before he learned the truth of their existences…before he began to degenerate, body, mind, and soul.

Before he would have even considered using his friend's son as he planned to use the child now…

The winged man regained his focus and returned his attention to the child sitting on the floor and taking several deep breaths before he regained his composure.

Genesis had to give the boy a mental nod as the silvered adolescent stood and returned to the computer. This time, he began to save the data to a small portable drive without reading any of the information. Clearly, the boy was determined to learn about his father, but he also knew his own limits.

Just as the claret-haired man realised that another presence had joined them, the boy removed the drive from the computer and turned to scan the room. Genesis smiled slightly. The boy was definitely one of them.

When another person from his past joined the boy, the winged man wondered how much of a problem he would be. Zack certainly cared for the boy. He would not simply stand back and allow the child to fall as his father had.

Sure enough, the violet-eyed man wasted no time in trying to discern what he had missed in his recent absence, nor in attempting to gain the child's trust. He also tried to hinder the boy's search immediately.

Genesis wondered if he might have to rethink his approach. He needed the child and could not afford for his old friend's apprentice to get in the way of his plans. His time was truly running short.

The blue-eyed man approached the computer to try to discover how far the child had actually read shortly after the boy and the former lieutenant had left to return to their old home, where it seemed they both still had attachments. Genesis smirked slightly when he realised where the boy had become so upset and where he had stopped reading for the time being. Zack would attempt to stop the child from learning more, but that could work in his favour.

The claret-haired man looked up in the seemingly empty room as he detected another presence…one that he was sure had been there for much longer than the lieutenant had been.

"You would actually allow the child to be used, Brother?" Genesis frowned as he felt the presence leave through the darkness itself. "I did not think you had truly fallen so far…"

His fractured mind returned to his current task before he could reflect on how far they all had fallen.

…Or that he was planning to ensure that another fell with them.


	185. Shuffle

_Prompt: Shuffle_

_Given by: Catchmeloon_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Cloud/Zack; Referenced Cloud/Riku, Post-Zack/Aerith, & Leon/Aerith_

_Author's note: To save some time, let me say right now that this one is strictly a one-shot. I do not plan to add to it nor do I intend it to be attached to any of the other one-shots in this series. If you wish to imagine that it is, then that is fine, but please do not ask me how it is supposed to fit into another plotline because it simply is not. Thank you and enjoy the story._

_

* * *

_

Zack smiled as he woke up to sunlight streaming through the window, the sounds of the neighbourhood waking outside of his comfortable house, and the warm weight of another body laying on the bed beside him.

The raven-haired man rolled over and found his chest against Cloud's back. He wrapped an arm around the other man's waist and kissed the back of his neck. "Good morning."

The violet-eyed man's smile faltered when Cloud tensed slightly and mumbled out a nervous response. Zack knew that things had moved quickly the night before and the only planned purpose for their get together was simply to catch up, however, he had hoped that the spiky-haired man would be just as pleased about the evening's events as he was.

Cloud sighed and sat up slowly; Zack sat up and watched the blonde's back as he seemed to think something over.

The violet-eyed man placed a hand on the other man's shoulder, causing Cloud to finally turn and look at him. He was definitely troubled by something.

Zack did not want to ask, but he had to. "Are you regretting what happened last night?"

"No," Cloud ran a hand through his unruly hair and looked even more troubled. "I just- I didn't expect that to happen… I don't know what to do now…"

Zack chuckled and pulled the younger man into a kiss. He grinned after they parted. "Planning can be overrated…All you need to decide now is if this is what you want."

"Yes," the spiky-haired man breathed out, but then he looked even more distraught than before. "I want this…I want you."

The raven-haired man rubbed Cloud's shoulder as he leaned forward to brush their lips together again. "Then what's the matter?"

"I'm with someone…" The words were barely a whisper.

Zack froze and hoped he had heard that wrong. "What?" He opened his eyes to study the other man. Cloud's guilty expression was as good a confirmation as any repeated words could have been. The raven-haired man chuckled weakly and ran a hand through his hair. "You could have said something earlier…" He dropped his hand and fought the urge to throw up.

Cloud did not back away or even remove his hand from Zack's thigh. "I'm sorry Zack. I didn't intend for this to happen. I thought I was over you. I mean, I never had you, but I always wanted you…it just never occurred to me that I would feel all of this again as soon as you answered the door…you haven't aged or changed at all…and now that Aerith's with Leon, you're actually available and I- I'm sorry."

"I know Spike…I know." Zack sighed and shifted his leg away from the other man's grasp before he looked at Cloud again. "Why didn't- Okay. We can't undue anything we already did. You need to decide what you're going to do though. How long have you- Do I know him or her?"

Cerulean blue eyes turned away. "I already told you what I want…if that's still what you want, then I've made my choice. It's going to be hard though…we've been together for over a year. He- I don't know how he's going to handle it. Maybe I shouldn't mention this part yet…"

Zack sighed again and closed his eyes for a moment. "That's up to you, I suppose. It's your- Wait…You didn't say who…_he _is."

Cloud still did not return his gaze to the other man. "Does it matter? No one deserves this and it isn't-"

"Whoa, hang on," Zack held up his hands. "I really don't think you're the one with a right to get pissy here. By the way, it isn't like you to shuffle like this; why can't you just give me a straight-"

Violet eyes shifted as Zack thought over what he had just been about to say. Pain, regret, and disappointment laced his features as he shook his head slowly. "No…Cloud, please, tell me it isn't Riku."

Once again, the blonde's expression confirmed the statement better than any words could. This time, however, Zack waited so Cloud had to say it. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt Riku…or you."

The raven-haired man dropped his face into his hands. Once again, he felt like he was going to be ill. "Damn it, Spike…I swore I would do everything in my power to stop that kid from being hurt and you do this? How could you even be with him to begin with…and for over a year? He's just a child."

Blue eyes narrowed slightly. "The age difference between him and me isn't that much more than it is between me and you, and I didn't see you having a problem with that last night."

Zack raised his head to look at the blonde again and spoke evenly. "That is not the same thing and stop trying to shuffle the subject. ...And what do you mean; you're not sure how he'll handle this? He's a kid who has been through enough to make Hades look pleasant, and who, by my math, got with you when he had no one else in the universe to count on. We'll be lucky if this doesn't destroy him."

"Do you think I don't know that?" Cloud's voice broke as he spoke, all the previous anger having drained from him to be replaced by remorse. "I felt bad enough to begin with. I knew he was too young, I knew he was in a bad position, I knew he has difficulty in trusting people and that I would only make that worse one day. He's never even dated or kissed anyone besides me. I don't even know how it happened to begin with…"

"It doesn't matter how it happened Cloud." Zack placed a hand over the other man's on the sheet, his anger having also ebbed away to guilt and distress. "It happened…all of it. Now we need to fix it as well as we can. I just got both of you back…I really don't want to lose either of you, but I will not hurt that boy any more than I have already. He's young, and he's been through a lot, and you were his first-"

"Not in _that _sense," interrupted the spiky-haired man. "We haven't slept together…Me and Riku, obviously. I'd like to say that's because I was considerate, but it was all him. He's never slept with anyone. I guess he's waiting for something…"

"So was this because you feel something for me or because you haven't gotten any in over a year?" Zack regretted that his tone was so harsh, but he could not bring himself to apologise yet. He also did not know whether to be pleased or angered further by this new bit of information.

Cloud pulled his hand out from under the raven-haired man's slightly larger one. "It was because I wanted you. I hate to admit this, I hate that I even thought it, but I never would have been with him to begin with if I hadn't thought you were dead."

"I know; I'm sorry Spike. I'm upset, okay? Even if you haven't slept with him, after this long and everything you two must have gotten through as a couple, he's attached. He's probably been more intimate with you than anyone else in his life, and I'm the only connection to his parents he has left…and we just did this to him." Zack slipped out of the bed and pulled on a pair of Jockeys before turning to face the spiky-haired man again. "Come on. We're going to get cleaned up and dressed and then we are going to find Riku."

Cloud stood and found the boxers he had been wearing the previous day. "I thought you were going to let me handle this?"

"That was when I thought it was strictly someone you were seeing…not someone who'll be even more hurt that it was me you had an affair with and are leaving him for," the violet-eyed man noted a slight lessening of the tension in the blonde. Clearly, he was pleased that Zack still planned to be with him. At the moment, that seemed like a poor comfort to the raven-haired man. "We're going to tell him together; we're going to explain everything; and we're going to hope to Shiva that he'll be alright. I hope he forgives me, but I'm keeping my promise to watch out for him even if he doesn't."

"He'll forgive you." Cloud looked sad, but sounded certain. "He understands what its like to not know the full extent of what you're doing because someone else misleads you. He'll be hurt, and probably won't want to talk to you for a while, but he'll be okay with you after that. I don't think I'll be so lucky…"

Zack placed a hand on the other man's shoulder again, causing Cloud to look up at him in something close to surprise. "Like you said, you already made your choice. Now let's find out what the consequences are. Just promise me you will never do anything like this again."

Cloud placed one of his hands over the other man's own and squeezed lightly. "I won't say I wish it never happened this time, but I can honestly tell you that it will never happen again."

Violet eyes searched blue ones before Zack nodded and then swallowed. "You can have the shower first."

Cloud nodded and left the room. Zack waited until he heard the water running before he let a tear escape.


	186. Buzzer

_Prompt: Buzzer_

_Given by: catchmeloon_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Leon/Riku, Zack/Aerith, Cid/Shera, Tifa/Rude_

* * *

Leon clenched his jaw and struck the computer keys with more force than necessary, Zack squeezed his eyes closed and broke yet another pencil as he corrected some blueprints, and Cid held the handle of his mug of tea so hard that his knuckled turned white as he looked over the generator he had been repairing with narrowed eyes.

Meanwhile, a little red light beside the upper right-hand corner of the door continued to flash as a loud, steady, irritating buzz sounded through the room.

"Why did we install that damn thing again?" questioned the Gummi mechanic as he slammed down his mug.

"Because we want it brought to our attention immediately if anything goes wrong around the town," replied the scarred man, his jaws still clenched as he typed in a few more keystrokes.

"There's always something going wrong around here and no one in this town can handle shit without us," grumbled the older man as he picked up a wrench and attempted to focus on the machine before him.

"You know, I have to agree with Cid on this one, Leon," remarked the raven-haired man as he opened his eyes and looked up from the blueprints. "We handled everything with as much precision and haste as we could before"

"The sons of bitches need to learn to deal with some of the normal crap on their own. I understand Heartless or monster attacks and the occasional megalomaniac sighting, but not the shit they keep calling on us to handle. Shera's been bitching that I keep coming home in a bad mood," complained Cid as he pulled out a cigarette.

"Aerith's been complaining that I'm too tense and she won't stay here any longer than needed anymore because that thing keeps giving her a headache," added the former SOLDIER before he broke another pencil as the buzzer started up yet again. "What are the so-called 'emergencies' that these last few buzzes were for?"

"Some Heartless sightings outside of town, a burglary, and a downed phone line…nothing we should stop what we're doing for," answered Leon with a sigh before he turned to look at the clock. "However, if Rude and Reno don't call in soon about that burglary, we're going to have to head down there."

"At least we finally got some grunts," commented the violet-eyed man as he ran a hand through his hair and stretched. "We need to assign some other people to some of these tasks…its ridiculous how much we actually end up doing ourselves. I mean, I'm glad we're doing this, but there have to be some more competent people around here then just our happily dysfunctional little family."

"Why is that damn thing still buzzing?" demanded Cid as he abruptly dropped his wrench and turned to the door.

"Do not dismantle that," Leon requested as respectfully as one could while seriously irritated. "Once the novelty wears off, people will stop sounding an alert over every little thing that goes wrong and save it for the incidents that truly need our immediate attention."

"Yeah, if we haven't all either gone deaf or learned to habitually block that sound out completely by then," added Zack with a small smirk.

Cid grumbled an agreement as the door opened and Riku entered looking tired, dusty, and slightly dishevelled.

"Whoa, you okay, kid?" questioned the Gummi pilot as he paused in the process of lighting another cigarette.

"Yeah," replied the cyan-eyed boy as he offered the man a weak smile and then turned to nod at Zack before approaching Leon. "Squall, the Heartless they're freaking out over are the ones in the Dark Depths. I've manage to drive their main line back a few yards but if in order to get rid of them all, I'm going to have to take up residence in the castle and keep at them for the next few months."

"You've been out there all this time? I thought you went home hours ago." The steel-eyed man sighed and reached out an arm to rub the adolescent's back. "Of course you aren't going to do that. I'm sorry, Riku, I just thought-"

The teenager waved of the apology. "If there actually were Heartless coming closer to the town, then I'm the one who should be sent out there. I'd like to rid this world of Heartless altogether at some point anyway, it's just…" The silver-haired boy gestured vaguely to everything going on in the room.

"Kid, there is way too much shit going on around here to spend that much time on something that isn't an immediate threat," commented Cid as he returned to the generator.

"Besides, I don't care what you are or what you can do, you're still just a kid," remarked Zack as he stood and offered the boy a bottle of water. "Once we get things straightened out a bit more, then I'm all for driving those creepy little fiends out of here, but _no one _is doing it alone."

"I agree," stated Leon. He gently hooked the arm he was rubbing the boy with around the teen's waist and pulled him closer. Both glanced over as the buzzer over the door sounded again.

"Now what?" murmured the cyan-eyed boy as he glanced at the read out on the small monitor attached to the device. "It's a brawl by that other tavern again. I've got some homework to do anyway…why don't I break it up on my way home?"

"If it's the same guys it was last time, then I don't want you heading over there alone," replied the Gunblade wielder as he stood and reached for his jacket. "I'll come back here and finish that decryption afterwards."

"Nah, you stay here, Leon," grumbled Cid as he put down his wrench and stretched before grabbing his own jacket. "If I stay much longer I'm going to tear that damn thing out of the wall. I'll go handle the jackasses with Jailbait and then drop him off on my way home for dinner."

"You don't have to walk me home, Cid," commented the adolescent neutrally.

"It's on the way Sport," replied the blonde man as he headed toward the door. "Now let's get moving…after hearing that damn buzzer all damn day I'm ready to kick some stupid drunk's ass."

The teenager chuckled and kissed Leon briefly before waving to Zack and following the Gummi mechanic out of the room.

"I still cannot believe the soft spot that crotchety bastard has for Riku…I mean, he has one for all of us, but I can't believe he actually shows it with him," commented Zack with a smirk as Leon simply grinned and shook his head. Then the former SOLDIER's cell phone rang. After answering it and having a brief conversation speckled with some teasing and chuckling, the raven-haired man addressed Leon again with a grin.

"That was Reno. He and Rude handled the burglary. Apparently, the burglar was still there and he startled them, so Reno nailed him with his electromagnetic rod, and then Rude threw him out a window." The raven-haired man smirked. "…And then the little old lady who owns the house and called in the alert chewed them out and made them agree to replace her window."

The Gunblade wielder arched an eyebrow. "Are you serious? I don't know whether to be amused or annoyed…"

"Oh, it gets better," remarked Zack with a dry smile. "While she was arguing with Reno, the burglar came to and took off. They agreed to patrol the area for a few nights to see if he tries it again. Right now, they're at _Seventh Heaven_. Tifa wanted Rude to stop by so they could have dinner together and Reno agreed to report back, but then he got distracted by helping Yuffie torment Cloud, so he forgot to call in right away."

"Quistis wants to put together a disciplinary team," commented Leon with a thoughtful expression. "With all the regular crimes that have been occurring, that idea is sounding better everyday. We should make sure she has more time to focus on that."

The former SOLDIER nodded, "Definitely. Actually, I wouldn't mind helping her with that."

"Good, call her tomorrow and tell her you guys have a burglar to watch out for and a few street gangs to contend with," replied the scarred man as he returned to the computer he had been working at previously.

"Okay; I'm sure Zell and Cloud will want in on that project too…at least it's something Spiky will be good for. Barret would want in as well, but I think he's got his hands full with the oil business and Marlene. Rude would good for it, and Reno too if he can be controlled." Zack's grin faded slightly as the buzzer sounded off yet again.

"Now what?" asked Leon without looking up from his work.

"Another utility issue," the violet-eyed man responded as he returned to the blueprints he had been correcting. "We need to find out who is trained in that sort of stuff and have them take over on maintenance and repairs…or train people to. At this rate, it will still save us time."

"We also need someone to be officially in charge," replied the steel-eyed man as he stopped working. "If this world is going to return to something even remotely close to what it once was, it's going to need a strong leader."

Zack smirked, "Watch who you say that in front of, or you're going to find yourself nominated for the position."

Leon rolled his eyes but the buzzer sounded again before he could respond.

"I'd better check this one out," stated Zack as he stood while glancing at the monitor. "Someone thinks they saw an 'angel of death' by the waterworks; three guesses who that might be…and none of them are very comforting."

"You shouldn't head out there by yourself," commented the scarred man as he stood once again. "Just in case he's still there."

"No offence, but if it is one of them, I'd rather take Spiky," stated the former SOLDIER with an apologetic smile. "I'll stop by the tavern on the way and drag him out there with me…and don't worry. If I see Riku I won't tell him what we're checking out."

"Thanks Zack." No sooner had the violet-eyed man left and Leon sat back down again then the buzzer sounded once more.

After three more false alarms, and no word from either Riku or Zack, the Gunblade wielder was becoming rapidly more irritated.

When his phone finally rang and was immediately drowned out by the sound of the buzzer, the scarred man did not hesitate to pull out Revolver as well as his cell and slash the conduit that led to the device as he flipped open his phone on his way to the door.

"Hi Riku, are you alright? …Good, Tell Cid I decided he was right about the buzzer…we don't need it. …Okay, why don't you tell me the rest at home? …I'm heading there now. Zack and Cloud should be calling in soon, and then I'll tell them to go ahead and call it a night as well. …yeah, well, we've had enough tension lately. …You too. Bye."

The room remained completely silent for the remainder of the evening.


	187. Paste

_Prompt: Paste_

_Given by: catchmeloon_

_Setting: Destiny Islands; Pre-KH_

_Pairings: None_

* * *

"Sora, hurry up!" Kairi stomped her foot at the bottom of the stairs.

"What's the rush?"

Kairi shrieked and jumped before she spun around to face a rather surprised looking silver-haired boy. "Riku! Stop doing that!"

The surprise was replaced by confusion. "Doing what?"

"Sneaking up on people," replied the girl in annoyance.

Cyan eyes rolled before the boy responded calmly. "I don't sneak up on people…it's not my fault no one hears me approaching."

"Well, make some noise then…I don't know, wear a bell or something." The soon to be fourteen-year-old checked her watch. "Sora, what is taking you so long!?"

Riku glanced at the wall clock in his friend's house. "Why are you rushing Sora? School doesn't start for nearly an hour and it won't take us anywhere near that long to walk there."

"It's our first day of high school and you said you'd give us a tour before school starts if we have time," replied the auburn-haired girl excitedly. "I want to have plenty of time to get used to the place before classes start."

"Since when are you so excited about school?" asked the silvered adolescent suspiciously.

The other teenager sputtered for a moment before responding. "Since…er, we get to wear uniforms now…"

"Gee, that wasn't suspicious at all," replied Riku dryly. "Especially since you've only been complaining about having to wear a uniform since I started high school last year."

"Okay, I'm meeting Selphie. We have plans. Don't ask; trust me," stated Kairi in a conspiratorial whisper.

A silver eyebrow arched. "Okay, aside from what you just told me, are Sora or I expected to play any part in these plans?"

"No, you're not the ones we need to payback," answered the blue-eyed girl.

"Okay," Riku looked unconcerned. "Sora's probably doing his hair. He will most likely be another ten minutes. I have some money, so we can take the bus most of the way if that doesn't give you enough time."

"No, I think ten minutes will be fine, as long as Sora doesn't drag his feet the whole way," muttered the girl as she turned her attention to the stairs again.

"Okay, I'll make sure he doesn't." Riku smirked and glanced up the stairs as well and called, "You have ten minutes before I head up there, Sora."

"Wait a minute…" Kairi turned back to Riku looking confused. "He's doing his hair? What does he do to it? It looks like a spiky mess all of the time anyway."

The silver-haired youth looked at his friend, confused again. "You mean you don't know?" The girl shook her head and his confusion remained. "He makes his hair look like that on purpose."

Kairi blinked a few times. "He does that intentionally? I thought that was just the way his hair looked…"

"Well, his hair is spiky normally, but not like _that_," explained Riku. "Haven't you ever wondered how it manages to defy physics?"

"I don't know anything about physics yet," answered Kairi flatly. "Sora copies off you, I copy off him, it's a lovely setup actually."

The silvered teenager rolled his eyes again. "You know, one day, you guys will need to know this sort of stuff and I won't be around to explain it to you."

The auburn-haired girl snorted. "Like that's ever going to happen…"

The cyan-eyed boy sighed. "Okay, back to my point; you know what gravity is right? You have thrown something in the air and seen it fall back down."

Blue-violet eyes narrowed slightly. "Of course, I'm not an idiot…just lazy. So, he _makes _his hair defy gravity…? Wow, he must use a really good hair gel…"

Riku shook his head. "Nope, he couldn't find one that holds that well…especially after he's been in the water. He adds paste to his hair while it's still damp but drying enough to start to spike, fixes them up a bit, and then blows dries the paste dry so they stay in position. That's why they sort of bounce back if you flick one of them."

"Huh, you now, I never questioned any of that," replied Kairi thoughtfully. She suddenly gasped and perked up.

The cyan-eyed boy arched a questioning eyebrow. "Did the payback plan just gain a new phase?" His friend's grin was answer enough. "Never mind, I probably don't want to know. Sora, I'm coming up!"

Kairi just heard the other teen call 'hide the paste' before she headed up the stairs after him.


	188. Baby Powder

_Prompt: Baby Powder_

_Given by: catchmeloon_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Leon/Riku, Zack/Aerith; Implied Post-Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi)_

_Author's note: This is another prequel to DNA, and the plushie is the same one mentioned in Heart and Flames. Thank you for reading and enjoy.

* * *

_

Leon leaned against the doorframe of Riku's bedroom with his arms crossed across his chest as he watched Zack. The former SOLDIER seemed to have no idea that the other man was there as he sat quietly on the bed, holding Riku's old Moogle plushie and looking more distant than Leon could ever recall seeing him before.

Violet-eyed darted up quickly in surprise when Leon finally spoke. "Zack, are you alright? Why are you in Riku's room?"

Zack's voice sounded slightly softer than it usually was when he answered, gazing down at the plush toy again. "I stopped by to fill you in on what Quistis and I had planned as far as patrols go. Riku let me know that you had been stuck out by Edea's old place for another night and then he said I could wait for you here if I wanted, but he had to go to school. I heard something behind the house a while later and checked out the hall window. I didn't see anything, but I noticed this on Riku's bed on my way back to the sitting room…I can't believe he still has him..."

A sable eyebrow arched; "_Him_?"

"I gave him to Riku when he was just a baby," answered Zack, looking at the worn Moogle plush fondly. "He loved this thing…couldn't sleep without either him or Seph around. Nevertheless, he still wasn't this worn out when Riku left here. He must have stayed fond of him for some time."

"That's probably Riku's most cherished possession," commented the scarred man as he stepped into the room and sat at the end of the bed. "I asked him about it when I saw it on the bed one day not long after he moved here. He says he had 'him' since before he can remember and that it used to help him with his nightmares when he was little. It made him feel safe, loved, that sort of thing…he calls it 'Thackary'. I wonder if that was originally a toddler's attempt to say _Zachary_. Isn't that what his parents called you?"

"Yeah, it was," answered the raven-haired man with a small smile. "I guess I left an impression."

"Of course, who could ever forget you," asked the Gunblade wielder dryly.

The violet-eyed man chuckled suddenly. "Sorry, didn't mean to mess up your punch line…I just remembered the day I gave this to Riku. It was the first time I actually babysat him at Seph and Hilargi's place by myself. I gave him a bath after learning the hard way why they make the holes in the bottles so small and when I tried to put baby powder on him…_poof_…it just went _everywhere_. Ku thought it was the funniest thing; that was the first time I ever heard him laugh."

Leon smirked, "_Ku_? Is that what you used to call Riku?"

The former SOLDIER nodded. Suddenly, the grin on his face ebbed, "Hey, did you say he continued to have nightmares as a kid?"

"I didn't say anything about _continuing_, but it sounds like he used to have bad night terrors as a small child." The steel-eyed man looked at his friend with some concern. "Why? He couldn't have had them before he left…could he?"

Zack nodded sadly. "It always worried Hilargi and Seph. He didn't have them all the time and they didn't get really bad until…"

"Until what?" asked the scarred man apprehensively.

"Until Seph started changing," Zack glanced at Leon. "What if Riku can sense Seph the way Seph could sense Jenova? It was some kind of strange, cellular, parental bond. I've been in this room before; Thackary wasn't lying out on the bed in plain sight…"

"What does that have to do with this?" asked Leon, not unkindly. "Tell me what you're thinking, Zack."

"Seph's been acting up again. You weren't here." The former SOLDIER sighed and held up the plush toy slightly. "This thing used to help with the nightmares, which were bad when he was a little kid. Seph would have been at his worst at that time. What if there's a connection?"

"You think Riku starts having nightmares whenever Sephiroth is under Jenova's control and he needed to sleep with a stuffed Moogle because I wasn't here?" asked the Gunblade wielder flatly.

The violet-eyed man ran a hand through his hair; his other hand still held the Moogle plushie. "I don't know…I think I'm onto something here, but I'm also missing something. Do you mind if I tell Riku you mentioned the nightmares when I ask him about this?"

"No, and I expect to hear about that conversation from one of you," commented Leon.

Zack suddenly smirked lightly. "What, are you getting jealous?"

"Of course not," replied the sable-haired man evenly as he glanced out the window. "You have a completely different bond with Riku than I do."

"Good," answered Zack as he looked back at the Moogle toy, his smirk still present. "I'm glad you have that confidence, especially since I saw Riku naked before you did."

"Excuse me?" questioned Leon as turned his attention back to his friend.

"Well I just told you a moment ago about giving him a bath and all," stated the raven-haired man with a grin as he fingered a loose thread on the Moogle's pom-pom. "Then there was rubbing him down with baby powder or oil…it would really be a shame if you were the jealous type, since obviously my touch has been ingrained into him in a way no one else could ever be at this point. That probably explains why he never had any problem with me touching him like he does with most of the others, huh?"

"I hate you right now," commented the Gunblade wielder dryly.

"I know," answered Zack with a broad grin, "But the conversation was getting far too serious for seven in the morning and tormenting you with this isn't going to get old for days…just wait until Cloud and Cid hear about it."

"Great, a whole new line of paedophile jokes," grumbled the steel-eyed man.

"Hey, you _were _getting all hot and bothered while I was talking about rubbing Riku's naked little body down with oil and powder, and I was talking about when he was less than a year old," stated the former SOLDIER as he forced back a laugh. "That definitely counts as paedophilic."

"I wasn't thinking of him as a baby," defended Leon curtly. "I never even saw him as a baby."

"So you were getting turned on by thinking of me rubbing him down with oil as a teenager?" questioned Zack with a smirk, "Because I'm sorry, but as attractive as the kid is, I just couldn't see him that way."

The Gunblade wielder narrowed his eyes at his friend. "Didn't you say you came here for a reason other than to torment or worry me?"

The raven-haired man continued to smirk as he responded without missing a beat. "Yes, but while we're still on the subject, are you worried about what I said earlier…or that Riku might realise that Thackary is a substitute for me the next time he's lonely while you're away?"

Leon rolled his eyes before he stood and walked out of the room. "…Whatever…find me when you've gotten this out of your system."

Zack's smirk turned into a soft smile as he sat the plushie back on the boy's bed and stood, still looking at it. "Thanks for taking care of him," he murmured before he left the room to find Leon again.

Later that afternoon, as Riku returned Thackary to the shelf he usually resided on, the boy wondered why the doll seemed to smell more like it used to when he was a child than it had sine he was forced to wash it after an incident when he was eight.


	189. Colloquy

_Prompt: Colloquy_

_Given by: ChibiFrubaGirl_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Leon/Riku, Zack/Aerith, Tifa/Rude, Zell/Quistis, Cid/Shera_

* * *

"Okay, can everyone hear me?" asked Quistis as she stood before most of the Radiant Garden Reconstruction Committee with a clipboard and an expression of nervous excitement. "Alright, well, for some reason Sq-er, Leon and Zack decided I should be the one to lead this discussion, so here we go."

"To begin, we all have agreed that we are spreading ourselves a little thin lately, however, the town needs leaders and we are the best for that position. Therefore, we have decided that we are going to break into departments, and each of us will be in charge of a department that we are particularly suited to head."

"Barret is in charge of power and fuel; I believe you already have begun working on putting another crew together to remain here?" After the large man nodded, but clearly did not intend to add to her statement, Quistis continued.

"Cid will be in charge of maintenance and transportation. Cid, Gippal and his crew have already volunteered to work for your department and under your lead."

"Shit, add Shera and that's my entire leading crew right there," commented the Gummi mechanic. "All I need is to get some grunts for them to train up and I'm set for the usual crap around here."

The blonde woman smiled as most of the room showed some indication of mild amusement. "Good to hear. Okay, Aerith is in charge of healing and medicine. Have you managed to find any healers to help out?"

"I've found a few volunteers and I'm going to be speaking to a few more people," commented the green-eyed woman. "Some will probably want to set up their own practises, once we get some more buildings up, but that will at least add to the ease of getting healed around here."

"Good job, Aer," said Zack with a smile as he draped an arm around the woman's shoulders and kissed her cheek.

"Tifa, if you don't mind, we'd like to place you in charge of food and supplies," stated Quistis kindly.

The mahogany-eyed woman smiled as Rude tried to hide a small grin beside her. "That's fine."

"We thought you'd like that," commented Quistis with a slight nod. "Leon is naturally in charge of defence..."

"Wait, I thought Zack was in charge of defence?" questioned the Gunblade wielder. "That's what we decided when the three of us discussed this."

"Well, we did some thinking after you left," commented the former SOLDIER. "You were the first to return here after Sora and Riku cleared this place, the first to suggest a reconstruction committee, and the first to really step in and lead everyone here. Everybody looks up to you, and they would feel more confident knowing you were in charge of their safety. Besides, if something ever does go wrong, we all know you're taking charge anyway because you don't want anyone else to mess it up."

"As far as actually assuring the people, I think you're better suited," countered the scarred man. "You're more personable. You also have more training for this than I do."

"Leon, everyone who isn't on this committee…and a few who are…would rather have you in that position," stated Quistis calmly before she and Zack shared a brief look. Both of their eyed flickered toward the boy sitting beside Leon almost too quickly to catch.

Riku rolled his eyes and turned to address his mildly confused boyfriend. "They're worried about upsetting me, Squall. The reason most of the people here would not be comfortable with Zack in charge of defence is that they're afraid of anyone who had anything to do with Shinra, and especially SOLDIER, thanks mainly to my father and grandfather. It's stupid, but it's also a fact. They don't understand exactly what happened and they..."

The adolescent stopped speaking before most could notice his soft voice faltering; however, Leon still noticed and wrapped an arm around the boy's waist.

"They don't know about Jenova cells, they're afraid that anyone exposed to Mako might become what Seph is, and they think you could do something about it if me or Cloud changed before we could become the threat that he is," stated Zack stonily. "We don't mind, Leon. They'll come around, and in the meantime, the whole point of a defence leader is to make sure the people are _and feel _safe. You're the best candidate for that position. I want you to do this."

The steel-eyed man remained silent and expressionless for a moment, then Riku murmured something to him and he simply nodded.

"Wonderful," replied Quistis and everyone else showed some sign of approval. "We also want you to be in charge of all of us if ever there is another planet-scale emergency. Zack will be your second in command, followed by myself."

The Gunblade wielder nodded once more, earning him a large grin from Zack. "Great, I knew you would be alright with that part…just hold on before you say anything about the next one."

Leon arched an eyebrow. "Why? I already told you I am not running for mayor or governor or any such position…I think it's better if we have a group in charge instead of an individual anyway."

"We agree," stated the violet-eyed man. "This isn't directly about you…we just know you're going to react."

Leon's arm tightened around Riku subconsciously. "We agreed that no minors were allowed to become full members of the committee. It's too much responsibility and it's too time consuming. Riku's wearing himself thin enough as it is."

"I agree," stated Tifa. "What about his education? How is he supposed to handle schoolwork and the workload of a Committee Head of Department?"

"Besides, what if something goes wrong?" added Aerith. "I know Riku has handled just as much and even more than most of us, but that doesn't mean we should place that potential burden on the shoulders of a sixteen year old."

"Personally, I don't like the idea of putting the kid through anymore shit, but I think Jailbait's proven that he's no ordinary kid," commented Cid as he lit a cigarette. "I think we ought to hear what they want him to do and what he thinks of it before he decide whether we want to allow it or not."

"Thank you Cid," said Riku evenly as his eyes remained on Leon, who looked torn for a moment before he nodded. "What do you want me to do?"

Zack answered before Quistis could discern that the boy's final question was directed at them. "Two things; We want you in charge of computers, however, we don't want you doing all of the work yourself, at least until you either take the high school proficiency exam or graduate the standard way."

Cyan eyes returned to Leon. "I think that sounds fine.

"He's already practically taken over on the computer system anyway, and he does know more about it than anyone else alive does," commented Yuffie from across the room. "He might as well be in charge so he has the authority to go with all that work."

"I cannot believe I'm about to say this, but Yuffie has a good point," stated Cid, earning him a raspberry from the hyperactive ninja.

"She does," agreed Riku before returning his attention to Leon once again. "Would you be okay with this?"

"Yeah," the scarred man nodded. "As long as it's what you want and not what you feel obligated to do."

"None of us want him to feel obligated to do anything," commented Zack, as several of the others nodded their agreement.

"Okay, then I'll do it," said the silvered adolescent.

"Great, it's good to have you officially on board," said Quistis. "Now, if any emergencies such as the sort we discussed that would put Leon in charge were to actually occur, but involve the Heartless or any of…Shinra's other projects, then…"

"Than as a Keybearer or the only sane angel-hybrid left, I have to do what I have to do," the teenager finished for the former SeeD. "I would whether this committee approves or not, so it's nice to know most of you understand."

Quistis nodded and then turned her attention to the man beside the silver-haired boy. "Leon, we know you aren't very happy about the idea of him-"

"Of course I'm not happy about it, but I understand duty and destiny," interrupted the Gunblade wielder. "I don't want to leave him alone for that type of situation if it can be helped, but I certainly would never try to hinder him from doing what he has to. You should know that."

Steel eyes shifted to meet the boy's half-hidden cyan ones. "I believe I know what you're capable of better than most, and I hope you know I understand what could happen. I just would rather you not have to do everything on your own again. I don't mean to…-"

Riku smiled softly as Leon gestured vaguely toward Quistis and Zack. "I know, Squall. Don't worry about it."

Quistis smiled again as the corner of Leon's mouth turned up while the boy intertwined their fingers. "Okay, lastly on heading departments, I'll be in charge of public relations and human resources….assuming that's alright with all of you." General sounds of approval filled the room before the blonde woman could continue.

"Well, then, we're down to patrols, so I'll let Leon take over since that's his department." The former SeeD smiled at her old comrade and handed him the clipboard she had been holding before she took her seat beside Zell, who smiled and kissed her.

After a slight nudge from Riku, Leon stood before all of the committee members as Quistis had before. "We've all agreed that we should set up some sort of patrol to help reduce threats to the area before they're already upon us. I have a list of all the volunteers, and I've decided that we're holding the patrols in pairs and at specified times. We're also going to follow specific routes so the rest will know where to look if any pair does not report in. Riku drew up some maps of the patrol routes for me, so I'll be posting them here and giving each volunteer a copy. The first pair will be Reno and Cloud-"

"You're putting me with Spiky?" interrupted the redhead.

"Cloud has more brute strength than you, but he's useless without a weapon, no offence Cloud." After the former SOLDIER shrugged off the statement, Leon continued. "The pairs aren't permanent anyway. I don't want an enemy to know they just have to send certain minions during specific patrols to get past us."

The Turk shrugged, "Okay. Spiky and me it is then. We actually kick ass together…he just has no personality, yo."

"I'm not thrilled about being stuck with you either," commented the spiky-haired man. "And are you saying I have less personality than _Rude_? No offence."

Both Reno and Tifa gave Cloud a reprimanding look, but Rude seemed unaffected by the statement.

"Okay, if we're done whining, I want to know who I'm being paired off with…that sounded sort of wrong." Zack smiled when Aerith hit his shoulder lightly and Leon rolled his eyes.

"You're with Zell; I'm with Quistis; Rude's with Cid; Yuffie's with Tifa-"

"Are you sure you should go on patrols?" Aerith asked as she turned to look at the other woman.

"I'm only a couple months along, it'll be fine," replied the mahogany-eyed woman.

Rude turned to Tifa. "Between the tavern, your new duties on the committee, Denzel, and patrols, won't you be stretched out too thin? That's why I refused the position offered to me."

"It is?" questioned Tifa as she met the man's eyes. "I didn't realise… You're right. I'm sorry everyone, but I don't think I'll be able to handle the patrols…however if anything big happens, you count me in."

"Of course," agreed Leon.

"Hey, who am I gonna patrol with then?" questioned Yuffie.

"I'll do it," offered Riku.

"You're too quiet," commented Cid. "She'll talk your ear off, Kid."

The cyan-eyed boy shrugged. "Do you think that will any different from hanging out with Sora?"

"Yeah, you win there, Jailbait," the pilot glanced at Leon, as did the teenager.

"That's fine, but you can only go on patrols as long as it doesn't interfere with your daily schedule," stated the scarred man.

"That's fair," said the adolescent with a small smile, which was returned by the Gunblade wielder.

"Then if no one has anything else they want to address, Radiant Garden has a new leadership system and this colloquy is closed."

Everyone in the committee smiled as they headed home that evening.


	190. Thrall

_Prompt: Thrall_

_Given by: ChibiFrubaGirl_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Implied Leon/Riku, Zack/Aerith, Post-Sephiroth/OC _

* * *

"Do you hate my father?"

Cloud abruptly turned to look at the boy he had been avoiding looking at for the past two hours. The teen's face was downcast and turned away slightly as he continued walking, his back and shoulders tensed more than they should have been.

The silvered adolescent had looked like this for all of their shared patrol thus far, remaining silent to the point where the blonde man wondered why he had even volunteered to fill in when Quistis was unable to accompany the former SOLDIER. Ultimately, however, Cloud had been as content as he thought the boy was to simply remain quiet and avoid eye contact.

The silver-haired adolescent did not look up, change his pace, or speak again as Cloud continued to watch him for a moment. By the cyan-eyed teen's unaltered appearance, the former SOLDIER could have believed that the unexpected question had never been uttered.

Nevertheless, he _had _herd it. He knew he had…And if the boy wanted to have the discussion they had been skirting around with stiff muscles, averted eyes, and methodical communications; then Cloud was more than happy to have some sort of confrontation instead the steady discomfort that had grown between them since he learned of the child's parentage.

Cloud looked ahead and continued walking as though he were not speaking either. "Yes."

In his peripheral vision, the spiky-haired man thought he saw the silver-haired boy stop breathing for a second; however, there was no other reaction from the adolescent. After a moment, Cloud considered repeating his answer, but decided not to. Perhaps the teenager had decided he was not ready for this after all, or that had simply been all he wanted to know.

Then the boy spoke again, in a tone that sounded strained while Riku tried to make the next question seem neutral, as though he did not care what the answer was. Cloud could still detect the apprehension beyond the detached tone.

"Do you hate me?"

The blue-eyed man actually stumbled upon hearing the question, and felt a small pang of guilt when he noticed the boy flinch ever so slightly, as though he had prepared to be attacked for a moment before he realised the man had merely staggered.

The former SOLDIER studied the ground before his feet for a moment. He had never truly considered the question before. There had been no need to. Riku was quiet and unobtrusive enough to avoid acknowledging easily. In addition, his relationship with Leon as well as Zack's attachment to the boy, and the teenager's efforts for the restoration project, had forced them into one another's presence on a near daily basis, but under controlled circumstances.

Sometimes, Cloud actually wished that he _did _hate the boy. In moments of anger or jealousy, something at the edge of his consciousness encouraged this, and told him that would be easier to deal with. ...And in that thought, the man had his answer. "No…I don't."

Cloud felt another small pang of guilt when he heard a long, soft breath released and saw the boy's head and shoulders drop slightly, the way one does when a heavy burden has been lifted from them after they have grown accustomed to carrying it.

The former SOLDIER did not realise he had a question of his own until he heard himself asking it.

"Do you hate me?"

Riku's answer was immediate. His long, silky hair swayed gently as he shook his head; "No."

The spiky-haired man was surprised at how relieved he felt. Suddenly, another question came to mind. "Do _you _hate Sephiroth?"

The silvered adolescent's face turned further away, and his voice was soft and filled with shame as he answered. "Sometimes…"

The blonde-haired man wanted to say something, wanted to let the boy know his feelings were completely understandable and justified, however, Cloud knew that any words of comfort he tried to offer on the subject would be hollow…and the boy appreciated honestly more than empty sentiments.

After another stretch of silence, the cyan-eyed teen spoke again, his voice still soft but also much stronger than it had been before. "I want to help him."

The former SOLDIER had another brief internal debate. In the end, he decided to stick with brutal honesty. "I know, Kid…but I think that's a pointless effort. He's too far gone. He'll only hurt you again."

"What if he isn't? What if Zack's right and it still isn't all him?" The teenager's voice grew stronger and more resolute before he continued. "If he can break free of _her_, then maybe he can come around."

"Zack's biggest weakest is his loyalty to his friends. He'll hold onto hope too long…he's done it before." Mako blue eyes turned to take in the boy's downcast face and tense shoulders. "…And I don't think Zack can fully understand the way Jenova has affected Sephiroth."

"Thralls are hard to understand," agreed the boy softly. "Actually, I think we're the only ones who can really understand what he's dealing with. Maybe we can help him break fee. We did…"

Cloud knew he would regret his response even as the words passed through his lips in a biting tone. "I am _not _like him…I have nothing in common with that _thing_."

Riku's eyes suddenly snapped up to meet Cloud's own for the first time. The boy was clearly upset, but was able to retort with a rush of adrenaline, which accompanied the anger that followed the blonde man's cruel choice of words. "Oh really…? You've never been completely dominated by another's presence? You've never screamed inside your mind or your heart while your body was used to fulfil someone else's desires? You've never had someone else control you completely, physically or mentally?"

Now the brief anger had fled the boy's eyes, leaving shame, sadness, pain, determination, fear, and an aching desperation in them. Cloud barely had time to marvel how expressive those eyes truly were before the boy spoke again, his tone so soft the former SOLDIER had to strain slightly to hear him. "Because I have…and that's what he's been dealing with for all these years."

Cloud turned his head away, not being able to look into those eyes any longer. He knew the feelings reflected in them too well. He could not bear feeling all of that at once. He hoped his next words could offer some form of relief. "I have too."

The blue-eyed man continued walking as he spoke again, someone knowing the boy had followed suit, even though he did not look at him again, nor did he hear any sounds to support this. "I'm no good at helping people, Kid…and I wouldn't want to help Sephiroth if I could. I couldn't take that fall again. I don't know if you're aware of how I felt about him before he changed…"

"Zack said you idolised and practically worshiped him," the boy interrupted quietly and evenly, as though he did not have any opinion about that either way. Cloud suspected he simply did not want to discuss his opinion.

The former SOLDIER decided not to push that. He probably would only end up blowing up on the boy, and he was entitled to his opinion. Cloud continued his previous train of thought instead. "That only makes my hatred for him all the more personal. I wish that I could help _you_, but I know better than to try. I'll just make you worse than you are now."

Cloud hazarded a glance at the silvered adolescent. Riku had returned to his former stance, so the blonde man could no longer see his face. He still caught the boy's brief nod, and did not wonder how the teenager knew he had looked at him.

After a moment, he realised the cyan-eyed boy was not going to comment. The spiky-haired man figured the adolescent had not been expecting, or possibly wanting, any help for himself anyway. Cloud felt guilty again about his next statement, but felt that he should say it. "I can't promise you that I won't kill him."

The response was soft and level, with only a hint of emotion that Cloud could not label. "I didn't ask you to."

Cloud nodded, and even though the boy was not looking at him, he knew the response was received. The blonde man also found that he felt lighter now that he and the boy knew where they stood with one another. Anything Sephiroth did would affect both greatly, but it did not have to segregate them entirely.

As they continued walking in a notably more comfortable silence, the former SOLDIER began to wonder if he had misunderstood the reason behind the entire conversation. A small smile touched his lips as Mako blue eyes turned to the boy whose face was still turned away and downcast. If Riku was willing to try to help him, then Cloud thought that maybe he should try a little harder as well.


	191. Impalpable

_Prompt: Impalpable_

_Given by: ChibiFrubaGirl_

_Setting: Destiny Islands; Pre-KH_

_Pairing: Post-Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi)_

* * *

Hilargi entered the small apartment she shared with her six-year-old son just before sunset. After locking the door behind her and hanging her keys on the hook beside the door, she turned with a yawn and headed toward the kitchen.

A small sound coming from Riku's bedroom caused her to pause. Her heart beat painfully as she cautiously made her way to the door and peaked in, only to see Riku sitting on the floor, sharpening a crayon as a closed sketchbook lay on the ground before him.

Large cyan eyes rose to meet her icy blue ones. "Hi Mom; you're home early. Did you make all the sick people better?"

"Riku…?" Hilargi stepped into the room, having already grown used to her son's unsettling ability to sense when someone was approaching him. "What are you doing home? You don't usually check in for another half hour…"

The small boy looked back down at the crayons and sharpener in his lap as he answered after shrugging slightly. "Sora's fishing with his dad and grandpa. It's Father's Day…all of the other kids are with their fathers."

Hilargi felt a slight stab of guilt. She had been in such a rush that week that she had completely forgotten what day it was. She always hated to leave Riku alone with no plans on that day. It was only a matter of time before he began to ask questions about his father again, and having a day designated to make him think of Sephiroth was no help in that respect.

"Riku, I…" The claret-haired woman sighed as she sat on the boy's bed. "How was school today?"

The silvered child shrugged again. "I got in trouble."

Hilargi frowned. Riku _never _got into trouble at school, or home for that matter. "Really…? Whatever for...?"

The boy rolled a crayon with a small, thin finger. "Mr. Biggs asked us to finish some poem sheets he passed out and to draw a picture…he didn't like mine."

"Well you couldn't have gotten in trouble just because he didn't like them," said the blue-eyed woman in a tone that suggested she knew the child was not telling her something. "What were you supposed to draw and write about?"

"It's Father's Day," repeated the child carefully, as though he were preparing his mother for something. "They were about our dads…I told Mr. Biggs I didn't know that much about mine… he said to do the best I could."

Hilargi sighed again. It was not a sigh of impatience or irritation, but one of sadness that her six-year-old already felt the need to be so cautions with her…to take care of her. Between her condition, the lack of people in their lives, and the constrictions of the islands, she sometimes wondered which of them would snap first. She tried not to let her voice indicate any of this. "Then why did you get in trouble? You did your best, right?"

The small child nodded, and slipped a few pieces of paper from between the pages of his sketchbook. "He didn't like them," the cyan-eyed boy repeated quietly as he handed the sheets of paper over, face down.

One of the pages was a light blue colour that Hilargi recognised as the school's notification stationary. Before, whenever she received one, it meant a student in Riku's class had been diagnosed with something highly contagious, the teacher was concerned by Riku's solitude, or it was parent-teacher conference week. This time, however, she suspected that was not the case. Flipping it over, she read the request from Mr. Biggs to have a private meeting with her as soon as possible.

The claret-haired woman turned the next paper, knowing by the waxy scent that it was the drawing even before she saw the other side of the page. Her heart clenched painfully upon seeing the drawing. She had expected a crayon duplication of the photo Riku had of his father, as the boy had exceptional talent, especially for someone his age. Due to that and his unusually high intelligence, the school referred to him as 'gifted'.

Instead, she was looking at an older version of Sephiroth…the age he should presently be. His hair had grown, and the youthful gleam to his eyes had vanished. His face was narrower, and he was paler. The part that frightened Hilargi was the fact that her husband's eyes had cat-like vertical pupils and looked lost and tormented. What she had mistaken for his shadow at first glance was actually a single black wing folded behind Sephiroth, and the red and orange swirls around him resembled flames.

Hilargi waited moment to make sure her voice did not shake when she addressed her son. "Riku, why did you draw him like this?"

The silver-haired child still did not look up from his lap as he answered softly. "That's what I think he looks like now."

Unsure of how to respond to that, Hilargi turned her attention to the last slip of paper. The poems had been designed so that the children filled in blank segments with general information about their fathers. The claret-haired woman could imagine the small kids reading theirs to the class, and therefore, telling their classmates and teacher about their fathers. She froze when she realised that Riku had filled in nearly every blank space with the correct answer, attempting to spell words he should not even know. It was as though his father had actually told him all of the answers...

The blue-eyed woman was both concerned and confused. Riku should not have known any of the answers he wrote on the page. She knew that Jenova's 'children' had a impalpable connection to the being, and wondered why she had never questioned the strange bond Riku had shared with his father as a baby…why it had never occurred to her that they might share a similar connection.

"Riku…?" This time, her voice did shake slightly. "Why did you write this?"

The child shrugged again slightly. "We were supposed to fill in the blanks."

Hilargi nodded jerkily, trying to maintain as much composure as she could. If she became visibly upset then Riku would become upset as well. Right now, she needed answers. "Riku, w-why did you say that your father was with a woman…?"

"That's where he is," answered the boy simply, but slowly, and Hilargi knew her son was watching her closely to gage her reaction. If he suspected how concerned she was, he would try to curb his answers. "He thinks she's his mom."

"…But she isn't…?" Hilargi prompted in a deceptively level voice. As a healer, she was used to keeping an even tone while discussing painful or delicate subjects…she just never thought she would have to apply that tactic to Riku.

"I don't know…she's a liar," Riku was obviously stealing a glance at his mother through his long silver bangs. Hilargi vaguely noted that she would have to get them trimmed again.

The woman quickly pushed the stray thought aside. "What makes you say that?"

"She made him think we don't love him anymore," the cyan-eyed boy answered sadly. "…But we do…" The questioning glance the boy shot her made Hilargi's chest tighten.

"Of course we do." Hilargi wished she had made the choice she had to make now years before. "Come on, Riku…we have to go to my office now."

The boy looked up completely with a confused and somewhat frightened expression. The blue-eyed woman knew she would have to continue to lie to the boy, now even more…and now he would know he was being kept in the dark. She had never brought him to her office before. "Why…?"

"I have to run some t-tests." The claret-haired woman's voice faded to a whisper as she continued. "On you…"

The fear began to build in those tiny eyes. "But I don't feel sick…"

"I know, but I still have to." Hilargi swallowed and continued in a much firmer voice than he usually used with her son. She supposed she would be using it more often now. "Riku, this is very important. You cannot tell anyone about these tests, or talk about your father anymore. It's fun to pretend you know him, but it upsets your teacher and classmates."

Now the six-year-old looked hurt, "But I do know-"

"No, Riku, you don't." Hilargi blinked back tears and Riku stopped his argument upon seeing this.

"What about Sora?" The boy asked instead. He hated having to keep so much from his best friend. It was as though he were afraid the other would learn that he kept secrets from him and would abandon him for it. "Can I tell him if he promises not to tell?"

"No, not even Sora. I'm sorry Riku." Hilargi stood and headed toward the door, she would have to lock the school projects in her file cabinet before they left. "We're going to my office in a few minutes, so get ready please."

"Okay…" The tone of Riku's voice made Hilargi want to explain everything to him, just so he would not feel so lost and alone; however, a six-year-old could hardly comprehend everything she would have to tell him, and she knew it would be better for him in the end if he did not know. She was beginning to regret telling him anything about Sephiroth to begin with, but that could not be helped. She would have to change her approach.

As she marked a new file in her cabinet with tears in her eyes, Hilargi cursed Hojo again for what she was about to have to put her child through.


	192. Exam

_Prompt: Exam_

_Given by: darktenshi17_

_Setting: Destiny Islands; Pre-KH_

_Pairing: Post-Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi)

* * *

_

Riku's plush Moogle dangled from the crook of his thin arm as the boy peeked into his mother's room, which looked more like an office than a bedroom. The claret-haired woman was still looking over some of his exam results and he did not want to disturb her. She had looked sicker over the past week…ever since Father's Day.

The boy absentmindedly scratched at the scabs in his palm, formed where he had accidentally dug his little nails deep into his flesh as he clenched his small fist to avoid crying out during one of the exams. His mother had been upset anyway and he did not want to make her feel any worse by crying when she might see. She said she _had _to run the tests…and she was sorry.

He still did not know what they were for and why he had to take them. He was not sick, although he had not felt very well since the tests were run. He told Sora he had a cold and would play with him again once he felt better. The six-year-old wondered when the heavy feeling in his chest would go away. It would not do for his heart to grow weak like his mother's was. One of them had to be strong until his father could come home.

As the cyan-eyed child watched, his mother released a broken sigh and dropped her head into her slender, pale hands. The blue-eyed woman looked tired and sad.

The six-year-old's mind could not put it into words, but in his heart, he knew that many things were wrong.

His mother was getting sicker, and sadder, and she did not talk to him like she used to. She always apologised and said it was not his fault, but she would never say what was wrong either. She would not talk about his father at all anymore, and became visibly upset when any subject reminded her of the man.

Sometimes Riku wondered if either his father or someone else from the place he was not supposed to know about or talk about could make her better. Hilargi could heal people who were sick or injured, maybe there was someone there who could do the same for her. The child wished he could ask, but he knew the only thing that would accomplish would be to make his mother upset again…and then she would just be even more tired and sick.

Riku had long learned that many of his questions would go unasked and unanswered.

The silver-haired boy hugged his plushie closer to him as he turned and shuffled back to his room, deciding that he should not tell his mother about the nightmares after all. She had said she wanted to know how he 'came up with' the answers he gave about his father, but Riku did not think she really wanted to know. Everything he said about his dad just seemed to make her sad again.

The silvered child climbed onto his bed and crossed his legs as he pulled his plushie into his lap. Cyan eyes glanced at the photo on his little dresser. Sora's mom had taken it of him and Sora when she had taken them both to the beach to play. Riku's best friend was smiling broadly and looking down at the sandcastle they were building. Riku was looking curiously at a smaller island a few miles out. The silver-haired boy still wondered about that island…wondered if it was any different from the one they lived on.

The small boy curled up with his plushie and pulled a blanket over himself without turning off the lamp in his room. He decided he was going to play with Sora the next day, even if he still did not feel well. He was tired of being alone. …And maybe he could come up with a way for them to go to that other island. He really wanted to see what was out there.

Because it had to better than what was here, and maybe it could make what was here better again.

That was the first day Riku started to feel trapped…and the first day he wondered if his father was really coming back.


	193. Bracelet

_Prompt: Bracelet_

_Given by: darktenshi17_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Implied Post-Sephiroth/OC, Post & Pre-Zack/Aerith, Pre-Leon/Riku_

_Author's note: This one follows Advent and Black. Thank you for reading and enjoy.

* * *

_

Leon could not believe it when an unknown caller ID on his phone turned out to be Zack. No one had heard from the former SOLDIER in nine years and assume he had died when one of the worlds he was on was lost to the darkness.

Even more surprising, was that Zack was with Riku, who had disappeared from the old castle four days before without a trace beyond his anklet laying on the floor of the castle chapel in perfect condition.

To top it all off, they were at one of Shinra's abandoned labs in the ruins of Midgar on the other side of the world.

Despite all of the questions that immediately came to mind, Leon only asked if they were all right before calling Cid and telling him to get a Gummi ship ready so he could go retrieve their lost friends.

Now, less than twenty-four hours later, Leon was sitting up in his kitchen, staring at the portable memory drive Riku had given him, claiming it held most of Shinra's records on the boy's father and that he wanted Leon to help him look over the information if it was feasible and alright with the steel-eyed man.

Once recovering from the shock of seeing him, alive and un-aged, Aerith offered her spare room to Zack, stating that they had a lot of catching up to do. Leon believed it. He had only been separated from Riku for four days and even before that, he had not known the boy for as long as Zack and Aerith had known one another. Yet he still had dozens of questions that he intended to ask the boy…once the teen had rested. He looked as though he needed it.

The scarred man stood with a sigh, deciding that he needed to try to get some sleep that night. He flicked off the kitchen light as he left the room and stuffed the memory drive into his pocket while he entered the hallway. He paused when he felt something else in his pocket already. Then he pulled out Riku's Shadow Anklet.

Moving quietly, Leon approached Riku's bedroom, which used to be his own guestroom, with the intentions of leaving the anklet on the boy's dresser. His plans altered when he noticed a faint light drifting through the crack under and above the door.

Sable eyebrows drew slightly in concern and confusion. "Riku…?" Leon rapped on the door gently before opening it slowly, so the boy could call out if he were indecent or simply did not want company.

"Leon…?" Riku was sitting on his bed with a similar expression to the one Leon wore as said man entered the room. There were several stacks of papers and photos spread across the bed before the teenager, and on the floor beside the bed was a black fireproof lockbox that, as far as Leon knew, had remained locked and untouched on the floor of the boy's closet since he moved in with the scarred man. "I thought you went to bed hours ago…"

Steel blue eyes ceased searching the items spread around the boy and focused on the adolescent instead. "I thought you had. Are you alright? What is all of this?"

Riku began gathering the papers and photos casually as he responded. "I couldn't sleep. These were my mother's…Kairi threw a fit when they tried to throw the box out after we were both were declared dead, so they saved them in case a relative showed up…as if that was ever going to happen." After organising the pages and photos in three separate files, the boy returned them to the lockbox.

Then, cyan eyes rose and seemed to study Leon for a moment, "What about you…Are you okay? Did you need something?"

With a glance out the slightly parted curtains, the Gunblade wielder realised that it had to be around two in the morning. "I couldn't sleep either. I was just going to leave your ankle bracelet in here and then head to my room."

The teenager tilted his head slightly, "My what?"

The scarred man stepped forward a few paces and held the Shadow Anklet out to the teenager. "This…that was a good move…leaving it for us to find."

Riku took the proffered item and looked down at it. "I'm glad it worked. I'm sorry I couldn't… I didn't want to worry you…I mean, anyone here that might worry, you know?"

Leon smirked slightly at the boy who was attempting to avoid looking at him nonchalantly. "I did worry. Actually, I was already so worried when we found that, that I didn't realise it was your way of saying you were okay…when you left anyway. It wasn't until Cid noticed the clasp that Goofy and Mickey pieced together what you did. Disney Castle produces some surprisingly astute inhabitants…"

The boy released a sound that might have been a chuckle. "I still cannot believe you called Mickey and Sora out here…"

Leon chuckled as well as he sat on the edge of the teen's bed. "As I said, I was worried…of course, I wasn't the only one. Cid suggested that maybe you had to leave for Keyblade purposes after the first couple days, so I contacted Mickey while Cid decided to go check on Sora…of course, once Sora heard why, he wanted to come back here with him."

Riku shook his head and then adjusted his position so he could put his anklet on again. "He really needs to stop worrying about me disappearing…I'm not going anywhere." Cyan eyes shifted up to glance at Leon as the boy made the last statement.

The sable-haired man wondered if he should read anything into that, but decided not to for the time being. "Why do you always wear that anyway? I would think you have a higher Darkness resistance than anyone."

The silvered adolescent smiled at Leon softly before turning his eyes away and settling them on the anklet in question. "Thanks. I guess I don't actually need it as far as protection goes…I just like the reminder of the choice I made when I first put it on."

"...That you would use the darkness in you to fight darkness itself?" Steel blue eyes drifted down to the enchanted anklet after the boy nodded once, his expression distant. Leon suddenly thought of something. "If that's designed to deflect darkness, then doesn't it hurt you whenever you use it?"

The silver-haired boy turned his eyes away enough that Leon could not see them at all while he answered. "A little…that's why I put it on originally. It was the weakest of the dark protectors I could find, and I thought I could use it as sort of a gage while I was honing my abilities. Within a few months I had used the darkness enough that I didn't need any sort of guidance…I still haven't decided if that's a good thing or not."

"You set out to master your abilities and you did. Not only is that good, but it's also very wise. A lot of people make the mistake of not trying use abilities that they fear or just don't understand." Leon continued to look pensively at the item that originated their discussion as he reached out and fingered one of the beads on the anklet. "I understand wanting a reminder, but you shouldn't wear this if it hurts or hinders you. …You don't deserve that."

Riku raised his head and eyes to search the scarred man's briefly. Instead of turning his eyes away quickly once Leon met his gaze, as he usually did, the teen continued to hold the steel-eyed man's eyes with his own for a moment. Leon could not say what it was, but he felt as though something passed between them in that moment. For the first time since they met, the Gunblade wielder broke their locked gazes first.

Steel blue eyes glanced at the window again. "I should head to my room now. I'll see you in the morning." Leon wondered why the last statement sounded more like a question, but Riku did not seem to find that odd as he nodded once before casting his eyes down at the lockbox beside the bed. By his expression, the scarred man suspected the boy was not actually seeing it.

Leon turned and took a few steps to the door, but paused and turned back when Riku said his name. The silvered adolescent hesitated briefly before speaking. "Thanks…for everything."

The steel-eyed man nodded as he felt the corner of his mouth tug upwards. "Anytime, kid."

Leon smiled fully the next morning when he awoke to find the boy's Shadow Anklet lying on his bedside table as the scent of coffee wafted in from the kitchen even though Riku never drank it.


	194. Bird

_Prompt: Bird_

_Given by: darktenshi17_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Leon/Riku_

_Author's note: Does everyone remember Chocobo?

* * *

_

Leon and Cloud both smirked from the Chocobos they were seated on as they watched the teenagers a few yards away get their bearings on the strange galliform birds.

"You know, if you only watch Sora's top half, he sort of looks like that pirate captain he was telling us about," commented Cloud as he watched the spiky-haired teen sway to one side and then throw his weight back the other way before the Chocobo he was riding gave a squawk of displeasure at the amateur rider.

The Gunblade wielder's smirk eased into a soft smile as he shook his head. "How does he do that?"

"Bad balance…? Off centre of gravity…?" Cloud noticed his friend's gaze looking a few feet to the right of the flaying teen and followed his line of sight straight to Riku. "Oh, he's just a freak of nature…no adolescent should be that graceful."

Leon offered the other man a slight glare before returning his focus to the two teenagers…more notably to one of them. "It looks like he's been riding for years and he's never even seen a Chocobo before this trip."

Riku hid a smirk as he reached out to help his friend stay seated in his saddle. "Sora, stop flailing around…you're scaring him."

"Well, how do you stop from falling over?" asked the blue-eyed boy, clearly irritated that his friend was not finding the task as difficult as he was. "And how come yours isn't hopping around like mine is?"

"Because I'm not thrashing all over the place, making a lot of noise, or squeezing his stomach as though my legs were an extra cinch strap," replied the cyan-eyed boy simply and with no hesitation; "Try holding on with your thighs instead of your calves."

The spiky-haired boy looked at his best friend as though he said something completely senseless. "But my thighs don't make it past his widest point…how am I supposed to hold on with them?" The brunette swayed to the left, and then jerked to the right as the Chocobo bound forward several paces.

"Mine don't either," the silvered adolescent pointed out with a roll of his eyes. "Just tighten the muscles on them…and move your hips when you need to shift your balance instead of your shoulders. You also might want to try moving with him."

Cloud's smirk faded and his eyes fogged up slightly as the silvered teen tightened his leg muscles just above his knees and raised his rear off the saddle completely while the bird he was riding scratched an itch on its side. Then the boy lowered himself gracefully back onto the saddle and began undulating his hips to move with the Chocobo as it hurried to catch up to their companions.

The blonde man shook his head after Leon struck him in the shoulder. "Stop staring at him like that…he's just riding a Chocobo. He probably has no idea what that sounds or looks like."

The spiky-haired man nodded. "Yeah, but at least you know he'll catch on fast when it comes time to ride-"

"Do not even think of finishing that statement," interrupted the steel-eyed man firmly. "You know, there's a lot more to me being with Riku than his physical attributes."

"I never said there wasn't, but you have to admit, _that _is very distracting," commented the blue-eyed man as he indicated the teenager, whose rented Chocobo was walking in circles around his friend as he tried to help him seat his mount better.

"I find it easier if I just don't count on my upper body at all," commented the silver-haired boy as Sora tried to grab the saddle to use as leverage.

"That sounds good in theory but I keep thinking if I lean the opposite way as him, I'll balance us out," replied the spiky-haired teen as he nearly struck his friend when his arm flung out to balance himself.

Riku was grinning and clearly trying not to chuckle at his friend's appearance. "…And how is that working so far?"

Cerulean eyes narrowed in a slight glare before widening as Sora was pitched forward and had to grab the Chocobo's neck to avoid falling off. The bird responded with another squawk and a short jump. "Okay, maybe this isn't as good an idea as I thought."

"Or maybe it'll take you more than a few hours to mater Chocobo riding," said Riku sympathetically, eyes having a fair amount of amusement mixed in with his sympathy. "Did you fly a Gummi perfectly the first time you tried? Or take off like a fish as soon as you hit Atlantica?"

Sora smiled at his friend as he swayed a bit to keep his balance, but did not flail as he had a few moments before. "No…I guess your right. I'll just have to come back here a few times to perfect it. Hey, I think I'm doing better already."

"I think so too," agreed the cyan-eyed boy. "You'd probably learn even faster if either of the _experienced_ riders would get over here to help us…"

"I think that was a hint," commented Leon with a grin.

"You're right…he has no idea why we're so distracted. Neither of them does," stated Cloud in awe before he shook his head and rode his own mount closer to the two boys alongside the Gunblade wielder.

"I think that's part of why the Keyblade chose them…pure hearts and all," stated the scarred man before smiling lightly at the two adolescents. "Want some pointers?"

Riku grinned at the steel-eyed man. "That would be nice."

"What are you talking about…you're doing way better than I am," demanded Sora.

"I seat the saddle better than you do," corrected the silvered teenager. "I have no idea how to steer this thing."

Cerulean eyed blinked as Sora took on a look of confusion. "You know what…neither do I."

Leon smirked as Cloud smiled slightly and shook his head. "Okay, first thing Sora, is have you noticed that Leon, Riku, and I are holding the reigns? …Because you need to use them to steer your Chocobo."

The former SOLDIER waited for the Keyblade wielder to pick up his reigns before continuing. "Okay, if you want to stop, pull back. If you want to go, give him a squeeze with your lower legs. If you want him to turn right, hold the reigns so they lean against the left side of his neck and then he'll turn right. Reverse for left. Got it?"

Riku nodded and began leading his Chocobo around Leon one way, before stopping him to go the other way. Sora looked at his reigns blankly and then turned his attention back to Cloud. "Huh?"

The blonde man sighed, "Look at Leon and Riku…see how they're moving their reigns?"

The boy watched as their friends rode away from them slightly and then began following the edge of the clearing they had decided to have their riding lesson in. "Why don't you just pull the side you want to go in?"

The blue-eyed man paused for a moment, clearly not used to being expected to give in depth explanations when teaching something. "Some train their Chocobo's that way, but it's more abrasive on their beaks than neck reigning. Why don't you try leading him to me?"

After a moment of struggling with the bird, Sora squeezed it too tightly and the Chocobo squawked, jumped, and threw him off before trotting to catch up to Leon and Riku's Chocobos.

"Are you okay?" called Leon as he grabbed the rider-less bird's reigns and began leading it back to the two spiky-haired males. He glanced behind him several times to make sure Riku was following all right.

"Yeah," Sora answered as he stood and brushed the dirt and grass off his shorts.

Cloud sighed and shook his head before glancing at the scarred man. "I hope you brought plenty of Munny…I think we're going to be at this for a while. Good thing you volunteered to pay for his first ride."

Leon smirked as he glanced at Riku who was holding the Chocobo still while Sora climbed back on. "It was worth it."

Cloud rolled his eyes as the younger brunette returned to continue his riding lesson.

…It was going to be a long day.


	195. Duffle Bag

_Prompt: Duffle Bag_

_Given by: Canderjack_

_Setting: Destiny Island; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None

* * *

_

Sora found it odd when Riku was not waiting for him in front of school before classes as he usually did. The last time Riku had failed to, was just before he grew so introverted and depressed a few weeks prior…he seemed to be all right now, and Sora hoped he was simply running behind that morning.

The spiky-haired teenager forgot about his brief concern that morning as he spent the day gossiping with Selphie, joking with Tidus, laughing with Penelo, and talking to Kairi. Schedule differences meant that he never saw his best friend during school.

When Sora and his other friends met up with Wakka after school, but Riku was still nowhere to be seen, the cerulean-eyed boy had the feeling he was missing something important. He told his other friends he would meet up with them later and headed for the silver-haired boy's foster home.

While it was certainly strange, the fact that Riku's foster mother did not know where the cyan-eyed adolescent was, or whether he had even returned to the house the previous evening, was far from unheard of. The silvered youth had at best spoken a dozen words to his foster parents since moving in, and often avoided returning to their home while they were there and awake.

Sora sweet-talked the indifferent woman into allowing him to check the room his best friend used (they never called it 'Riku's room') under the guise of looking for some school notes. A quick glance around the always-barren room showed that Riku had not returned there the previous evening…his messenger bag and art supplies were still missing, and there were no clothes in the hamper.

Obviously, Riku had not spent the night at Sora's house, which only left one other place he would have slept. Without pausing for thought, the spiky-haired boy headed for the play islands. The whole trip he kept ignoring the nagging feeling that he was missing something important. He found himself remembering how he and Riku used to play prates off the dock when they first used to come out to this island.

Sora slowly approached the bent Paopu tree that Riku always hung around. When they played the pirate game years ago, they used to bury their 'treasure' under it, in a secret compartment they decided _must _have once been used by pirate smugglers. The cerulean-eyed teen thought about how, even after the small island lost its novelty, Riku had still loved to sit on the Paopu tree and watch the sea.

After both of them failed to return to the islands once they closed the doors to Kingdom Hearts and saved the worlds, Riku had been declared dead alongside his mother. Upon his return, the silvered teen had been given a lockbox his mother kept, as well as a small chest (the same one they used to play with years before) he had kept in his room, in his father's old duffel bag. It was all the boy had left of his old home aside from his memories.

Sora had watched Riku dig a hole with tears in his eyes as he buried both chests and the bag in their secret compartment under the tree that same evening without having opened any of them. Now, the duffel bag was missing along with its contents. In its place in the compartment was an envelope with Sora's name written on it in his best friend's handwriting.

Only a few days before, Sora had cornered Riku and told him that he knew his friend would not be all right on the islands…he had told him to go. The brunette had tried not to let the master of shadows see how hard that was for him, but he knew his dearest friend must have seen the pain in him as easily as he saw it in Riku.

Sora knew this had been a long time coming as he opened the letter.

_Sora,_

_I've never had to actually say 'Goodbye' before…I don't know if that means I've been lucky or not. Anyway, I am not saying goodbye to you. You know I'll always be watching when you need it. Love you._

_-Riku_

Sora closed his eyes and held the note against his chest until it stopped hurting there. Then, he smiled and wished his friend luck before heading off to meet his other friends.


	196. Fault

_Prompt: Fault_

_Given by: Canderjack_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Referenced Leon/Riku, Zack/Aerith, Tifa/Rude, Cid/Shera, Zell/Quistis, Sora/Penelo, Tidus/Selphie, Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi), OC/OC (Mr & Mrs. Hiruma)

* * *

_

Leon glanced up from the computer screen he had been glaring at when he heard the door slam. The offending adolescent turned into the room after but before the scarred man could offer any form of greeting, he noticed the teen's set jaw and stiff but hurried pace, as well as an angry burn to the Keyblade wielder's eyes.

Leon only had time to note vaguely that he had never seen Sora so angry before the spiky-haired boy was practically yelling at him. "What is your problem? Why do you always shave to be so cold?"

Steel blue eyes blinked once in confusion before sable brows drew in annoyance. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Cerulean eyes narrowed and the Gunblade wielder had a feeling that had not been the best response to dissuade the boy's anger. "You know what? I can tell you what your problem is…you _are _the stone cold, stoic bitch that the others like to tease you about being. But not because that's just how you are…no, it's because that's who you _choose _to be, and that's fine, but if it's all you're willing to be, then stop stringing Riku along 'cause his heart's not up for it."

The steel-eyed man stood and crossed his arms as he repeated his earlier question. "What are you talking about? I haven't even seen Riku since this morning…and I certainly am not 'stringing him along'."

Sora's hands fisted at his sides as he dropped his voice from a near-shout to a near-growl. "You don't even notice that you're doing it, do you? Or have you just pretended not to care for so long that you actually don't anymore?"

The Gunblade wielder quickly tried to recap that morning's events, trying to think if there was anything that might have lead to this confrontation…nothing came to mind. "What brought this on? Did Riku say something…?"

"Of course not, but he doesn't have to," the spiky-haired boy was nearly shouting again. "I saw it! And I know this isn't the first time either; you just keep doing this to him."

Leon sighed, trying to keep his own temper in check because clearly the boy was not going to attempt any such thing. "Sora, I don't know what you think you saw, but I swear I did not do anything to Riku this morning. If you would just calm down and explain what the hell you're going on about, then I'm sure we can straighten out this misunderstanding."

If Sora had looked angry before, then he looked downright livid after that statement. Ever one to change tones in the blink of an eye, his voice was frighteningly low when he responded. "This morning, on the way here, he walked with you for most of the way. At one point, he reached for your hand and you said something curtly before he dropped his and then murmured something before turning off to head to the castle."

"_That's _what this is about…? Public displays of affection are dangerous for us. Riku knows that. He usually doesn't do that sort of thing anyway…" Even as he responded, the scarred man knew he was missing something. Sora would not be so angry over him refusing to hold Riku's hand…and Riku would have quelled any of his friend's concerns were that all they were based on.

"Did you bother to look at his eyes?" asked the cerulean-eyed boy bitterly. "Did you bother to ask yourself why he suddenly wanted to hold your hand when you just said he's never been the type to do that sort of thing in public? Or did you just think of how it would look if someone else saw…or of what could happen if you opened yourself up that much?"

Steel blue eyes simply stared while Leon guiltily recalled that he had not even glanced back at the boy in the rush of the morning. Nor had he questioned his young lover's uncharacteristic actions and the words he spoke before they parted ways. He did not bother to explain to his lover's best friend that they _had _to consider what would happen if someone outside their little family of friends knew what they were…that it was more than just his personal preference to keep his private business to himself.

Apparently seeing that he had made some sort of impact, the teenage brunette continued sounding slightly less bitter than before. "You know, you, Sephiroth, and Cloud all share the same main fault. Riku's a little better, but at the rate he's going, he'll be just as bad as the rest of you in time…and you aren't helping. All of you think that if you keep everything inside, if you handle everything on your own, then you won't be hurt and you won't hurt the people you care about… Well how has that worked out for any of you so far, huh?"

"What did I miss?" The Gunblade wielder asked quietly. "Is Riku alright?" He knew Riku could more than take care of himself physically, he was not yet sure where the adolescent's limits lie beyond that.

"He's as alright as he was when you last saw him," replied Sora before continuing a little louder when Leon was clearly about to ask what that meant. "It doesn't matter what you missed because you missed it already. ...And I understand about the issues involved but you have to admit that you wouldn't be much different if they weren't. And it's not like he wanted to make-out…friends can hold hands sometimes."

The teenager continued what now sounded like a hostile rant, as Leon thought over his previous statements. "I know you aren't like the rest of us…I'd make a complete fool of myself just to hear Penelo laugh. Tidus smiles through all of Selphie's crazy fangirl ravings because she's just so happy and he doesn't want to ruin that. Zack calls Aerith by that special nickname he has for her all the time just to remind her of what she is to him. Rude's willing to totally throw his reputation, and his masculinity at times, aside to be with Tifa. Zell always has an arm around Quistis, or is whispering to her, or something to let her know she's all he wants. Cid may be gruff but he makes damn sure Shera knows he loves her and I don't wanna know how. My parents are always gushing over each other. Riku's dad was _literally _willing to give himself up to take care of Riku's mom. Now, if you could just get past whatever the hell your problem is, then you'd be just as perfect for Riku. I know it. You get him and you can help him, but _not _by showing him how to shut down. I don't want that for him. We've come too close to losing him already."

"I don't want that for him either," Leon replied evenly and sincerely. "And I don't want to lose him."

Sora sighed and seemed to deflate slightly as some of his anger had drained out of him. "Then either overcome your faults or work around them and figure out a Leon-way to let him know that. I don't know whether its more that he needs it or just needs you to try, but I guess that means he needs you to either way…" The teenager punctuated his confusion with a shrug.

Leon nodded before the corner of his mouth twitched up. "I'm glad someone's watching for what I miss, though. Thank you Sora; you're a good friend…and not just to Riku."

"You don't have to thank me," Sora smiled lightly, but it soon ebbed. "I'm only visiting…when I go back home, you're gonna be the only one he's this open with for a long time. If that's not what you want-"

"It is;" Leon firmly stated; "Not that I don't want him to open up to some of the others, but I want him to open up to me."

Cerulean eyes moved over the steel-eyed man searchingly, and Leon noted that the Keybearer had not scrutinised him so closely even when they first met and duelled or when he explained what the Keyblade was to the boy. Then, Sora smiled and nodded once. "Good. I'm going to go find Riku now. I'll see you later." With a wave followed by another slamming door, the Keybearer was gone.

Leon shook his head slowly, wondering how the spiky-haired teen could be so vacillate and open with his emotions all the time before he took on a more pensive expression as he tried to figure out how he was supposed to handle the situation that the boy had brought to his attention.

He had a feeling this was not going to be as easy as it should be.


	197. Simulation

_Prompt: Simulation_

_Given by: Canderjack_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Pre-Leon/Riku_

_Author's note: Does everyone remember Birthday?

* * *

_

Leon was not a man prone to panic. He usually approached any situation calmly if not distantly, however, even he had his limits and his emotional moments.

They were just extremely rare.

Which was why Zack and Cloud were surprised when the steel-eyed man approached them at a hurried pace to ask in a notably restrained voice when the last time either of them had seen Riku was.

"He was in Ansem's old computer room when I left it about two hours ago…it didn't look like the kid was planning on leaving anytime soon either," replied Cloud.

Zack nodded, "That's where he was heading when I last saw him. He said he had something he wanted to finish. Why are you asking?"

"I've checked there twice already," replied Leon, ignoring his violet-eyed friend's question. "I've checked everywhere I can think of and I can't find him."

"Okay, well why don't you go and check there again and make sure he's not just hanging out at the Bailey on the way," Zack responded, realising that his friend was truly concerned about the boy. "Cloud and I will drop off Aerith's seeds and see if anyone at the community gardens has seen him."

"If they haven't, we'll check the Crystal Fissure," volunteered Cloud, earning him an appreciative smirk from Zack. "He likes hanging out there alone for some reason."

Leon nodded. "Thanks. Call me if you find him."

As soon as his friends nodded their understanding, the scarred man headed to the bailey and then continued to Ansem's old research centre upon finding it empty. A phone call from Cloud halfway through the labyrinth of halls that led to the former sage's study informed Leon that no one at the gardens had seen or heard from Riku either. The others were moving onto the cave, but it would take a while to get there.

No one else was at the centre that late, and Leon could hear no sounds of movement within the building aside from those he made himself. Until he was just about to enter Ansem's old study.

The scarred man sighed, hoping that the sounds coming from the computer room were made by Riku, and that he had just missed the boy when he stopped by earlier. However, he soon realised that he was wrong.

Just as the Gunblade wielder was about to enter the computer room, he was assaulted by a small blue ball of fur, which then sprouted four arms and aimed four tiny guns at him.

Leon had drawn Revolver without thinking, and had it aimed at the small creature. As much as the small alien irritated him, he realised that Riku had grown fond of him.

"Hi Stitch," stated the steel-eyed man as politely as he could at the moment while he lowered his weapon. "Have you seen Riku? I'm trying to find him."

"Aloha Leon," stated the odd creature as he lowered his weapons and made a sound close to a purr. "Stitch guard Riku."

A sable eyebrow rose. "You're guarding Riku? Is he okay? Where is he?"

A small blue finger pointed to the computer room from which the alien had just leaped out. "Leon, Riku, ohana…Riku need ohana…"

"…Okay…thanks…" with a perplexed expression, the sable-haired man walked into the computer room. Riku was nowhere in sight, but the computer was on.

When he approached the computer in the hopes that the currently opened program would tell him who had used it last, Leon discovered something odd. The computer was locked, requiring a password before anyone else could access or adjust anything in it. Leon knew that only Riku could have done that.

"Tron," the scarred man stated loudly.

"Yes, User Leon?" came the familiar digitized voice.

"Why is this computer locked? And do you know where Riku is…or what he's been doing here?"

"Riku is in the simulated duplicate of the town that he created. Riku locked the computer so no one could shut it down while he was inside. Unfortunately, I cannot answer your final query. Riku does not require my assistance to operate any of the system's programs."

Leon had been wearing a disturbed expression, never having thought of what would happen if someone shut down the computer while Riku was inside before, but the final comment brought a slight smile to his lips. "Thank you, Tron. Is there any way you and I can bypass his lock so that I can get in there with him?"

"I do not know, however, that is not necessary. Riku said you should be able to guess the password. You have three attempts before you are permanently locked out of the program."

The smile fell from Leon's lips. As helpful as the boy usually was, sometimes having a brilliant whiz-kid around was a pain in the ass.

Movement to his right caught Leon's attention. He turned his head to see Stitch crawling across the wall. The faint smile returned to his features as Leon stepped forward and typed in the password.

"Press 'enter' to do so," said Ansem the Wise's voice through the computer's speakers.

The steel-eyed man pressed the designated key and felt an odd, tingling sensation over his body before everything in the room returned to its original brilliance and Stitch vanished from the wall.

After taking a brief glance around and inwardly marvelling at the silver-haired boy's work once again, the Gunblade wielder entered the study to be shocked once more by the data-based duplicate of Ansem the Wise, who was selecting a book from his bookshelves.

"Greetings, Squall. To what do I owe the pleasure? Or should I say, to 'whom'?" The old sage sounded somewhat amused as he posed that last question.

"Hello Ansem," Leon greeted the 'man' awkwardly, unsure of how much respect he was expected to show a computer program. "Is Riku here?"

"If by 'here' you mean this building, than no," replied Ansem the Wise as he turned toward his desk. "If you mean this duplicate town, then yes. He is testing out a new simulation program he has created…he believes you shall gain some enjoyment from it. Even if you do not, may I ask that you accept the gesture graciously?"

Steel blue eyes blinked, confused by both the statement and the fact that the digital copy of their former ruler sounded rather fond of the cyan-eyed boy…and slightly concerned for his feelings. "Of course; do you know where about he is in the town?"

The old sage looked amused once again. "Go to the place you would have gone if you were confused and distressed at his age and I believe you shall be close."

The sable-haired man rolled his eyes. "I'll be going then." He waved briefly in response to Ansem's parting nod as he headed out of the room.

Once Leon exited the building, he paused for a moment to look over the town as he had once known it, save for the lack of people.

Then he realised where he needed to go.

Leon walked to the valley, which was now the Great Mall in the real town. He took in all the familiar sights on his way. He was impressed when a breeze tugged at his clothes and hair as he heard several birds call in the nearby trees.

As he neared an old clearing by the river that no longer existed in the real word, where he used to practice swordplay as a child, the scarred man saw the silvered adolescent he was seeking. Riku was sparring what appeared to be a shadow, although it certainly was not his own. It looked more like Sora than anyone Leon could think of, although it appeared to be wielding some sort of bat/sword combination, was wearing longer pants than Sora ever did, and had less spiky hair.

Cyan eyes glanced in Leon's direction as he approached, before the boy quickly defeated the strange opponent and released Way to the Dawn. "Did you need to use the computer? Sorry I locked it up, I just-"

"Actually, that was pretty smart," interrupted the Gunblade wielder. "And no, I didn't come here to ask you to free up the computer. I was looking for you."

Riku turned to face the man, but did not raise his head or his eyes, "Why?"

Leon was surprise to realise that he had never actually wondered at that himself. He did know the answer though, and that surprised him even more. "…Because you didn't come home."

The silvered teen looked up through his long bangs. "You were worried…?"

"You didn't expect me to be," Leon spoke evenly. It was more a statement than a question, but the boy shook his head slowly in response anyway. "Why…?"

The cyan-eyed adolescent shrugged slightly. "It's been awhile since anyone has."

Leon watched the teenager as he glanced around uncertainly. "Ansem said you were testing out a new simulation program. He also said I would probably enjoy it."

Riku nodded, "You just saw part of it. It's a training program. Sora told me about your spot in the sewers of Traverse Town and Cid said you used to come out here to practice as a kid. I had a place like that back on the islands too."

"Thank you," stated Leon, his tone and expression genuine. "Can you show me how to run it?"

Again, Riku nodded, and Leon stepped forward to join the boy. When they stopped sparring a few hours later, it was already well past nightfall and the sky was filled with stars.

"I cannot believe how much detail you've fit into this already," commented the scarred man as he glanced at the sky while they walked back to the research centre. "It's incredible."

Riku was also gazing at the stars. "Thanks."

"Riku, do you know what 'ohana' means?" Leon asked suddenly, recalling what Stitch had said to him before he joined the boy in the digital world.

"It means family," explained Riku gently, "But in an extended sense of the word. It's meant to emphasise that family and friends are bound together by love and have to remember and cooperate with one another."

"They're connected by their hearts," Leon stated quietly, but the boy nodded once, having heard anyway. "Did you know that Stitch would call _us _ohana?"

The silvered teen stumbled and looked at Leon in mild surprise. "I'll take that as a 'no'," commented the Gunblade wielder. "I thought maybe that was why you chose the password that you did."

"He kept calling us, as in me and him, ohana," stated the cyan-eyed boy. "I figured he would say it to you and that would tip you off…I didn't know he would include you too." Riku shrugged and smiled slightly.

"No, he just said that you and I are ohana," corrected the steel-eyed man. Riku did not respond and Leon turned to look ahead of him once again. "Maybe he's wiser than I initially gave him credit for."

Discreetly glancing to his side, Leon saw that Riku wore a small smile as well as a slight flush before he quietly replied. "Maybe he is…"

Leon smiled and stroked the boy's back lightly. He was pleased when the adolescent did not tense upon physical contact for the first time since they had met.

The next time Riku was going to be home late, he left Leon a message…and the scarred man smiled upon seeing it.


	198. Envelope

_Prompt: Envelope_

_Given by: Lapse - Raevn_

_Setting: Destiny Islands; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None; Implied Mickey/Minnie & One-Sided Leon/Riku

* * *

_

Riku had done all of his homework during lunch or between classes the day before, and then he crammed all of his books and binders inside of his locker. Therefore, that morning, he instead packed his messenger bag with his sketchbook, journal, photo album, sketching pencil case, few small personal items, and what little Munny he had.

None of the cyan-eyed boy's teachers noticed that that he was not taking any of his usual notes in his classes that day. Only a few gave out weekend homework, but he did not bother to make a mental note of the assignments; he would not be completing them anyway. There was not any need.

The silvered adolescent bought a bouquet of flowers at the stand he usually stopped by on his way to the cemetery, before spending more time at his mother's grave than he normally did as of late. Then, he headed to the play islands to say hello to his friends before going to Sora's house with the spiky-haired teen.

Riku helped Sora with his weekend homework before the two teenagers ate dinner, and then played several rounds of the brunette's favourite video game. The two best friends continued playing and talking until late into the evening, which was fairly common. Riku rarely headed home at a decent hour, when his foster parents might be awake.

What was unusual was Riku hugging and thanking Sora before leaving. The silver-haired boy was glad his friend was too tired by then to notice, or at least question, his strange behaviour. His eyes were already watering and he knew he would not be able to pull off a lie and his friend would not be able to handle saying goodbye yet. In truth, Riku did not want to say goodbye either.

The cyan-eyed teen then headed back to the play islands and more specifically, to 'his' islet. This was not unusual for him either, but his plans for that evening were. Riku took one of the shovels his friends and he kept in the shack and dug up an old hidden compartment under the Paopu tree. He recalled how he and Sora used to play pirates there as children, and that was where they hid their treasure.

As he worked, Riku thought of all the times he and his friends had sparred on the small islet. Mainly, he thought of all the times he and his spiky-haired friend had. Then his thoughts briefly turned to the previous year, and some sparring matches on another world, with a man he had technically yet to see. The cyan-eyed boy wondered how Leon would react to his arrival. This thought did not last long though, as the boy's attention quickly returned to the past when he finished digging up the items he had buried under the Paopu tree shortly after returning from his journeys.

After recovering his personal treasures, which consisted of his father's old duffel bag, filled with his mother's old lockbox and his old toy treasure chest, Riku sat down to write a letter to Sora. It turned out rather short; as again, he did not want to say goodbye to his friend. He hoped Sora would understand that.

When the twilight child was finished, he sealed the brief missive in an envelope, which he wrote his best friend's name upon. He knew Sora would find it, most likely the following day after school. Then he held the envelope against his chest until the pain there faded enough for him to breathe regularly again.

By that point, he recognised a familiar presence nearby and turned to see Mickey and Minnie waiting at the other side of the bridge. The small king smiled and nodded to his friend, obviously understanding that this was not easy for him. Minnie smiled sympathetically, and then touched Mickey's arm before seeming to ask him a question. The royal Keybearer turned and pointed to some of the other local trees as he answered.

The silvered adolescent smiled slightly before glancing at the sea. This had been a long day coming. He was glad Sora had approached him a couple days prior about his behaviour since their return home, and had even told him to go. Riku knew he never could have decided to leave if Sora had not been able to understand why he was leaving.

Riku replaced his personal treasures with Sora's letter and then took a deep breath before turning to join his other friends.


	199. Beat

_Prompt: Beat_

_Given by: Lapse - Raevn_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Referenced Leon/Riku, Zack/Aerith, Tifa/Rude_

_Author's note: Here is the much asked for follow-up to Miscreant. Enjoy and thank you for reading.

* * *

_

Reno and Zack were both laughing loudly from the corner booth of the tavern, with several empty bottles on the table before them.

"Oh man, I cannot believe I missed that," remarked the former SOLDIER. "Spiky actually dressed like a woman; he must have hated that. Please tell me someone took a photo…"

The Turk nodded. "Tifa has one; Rude came across it the other day in her scrapbook and asked about it."

A black eyebrow arched as Zack finished another beer. "And she hasn't shown me yet? I am definitely going to have to ask about that."

"She's probably been a bit distracted with the world coming to an end, Heartless attacks, hunting down Strife, your resurrection, and finding a boyfriend, yo." Reno shrugged and grinned before finishing his own drink.

"True, and there's running the tavern and taking care of Denzel," remarked Zack as he grinned in return. "I'm still going to get a copy of that photo to torment Spiky with…I'm sure either Zell or Riku know how to do that and they'd both be willing to do it for me."

The redhead chuckled before standing as the two men dropped some Munny on the table and headed outside. "If computers can do it, then Pretty Boy knows how to make 'em, yo."

The raven-haired man nodded as they idly turned down an alley that would lead them to their district of town quicker. "No lie…but considering who his parents were, nothing about Riku has surprised me yet." Zack grinned, "Well, maybe one or two things have…"

Reno smirked as his eyes took on a lustful gleam. "The kid's definitely a wonder, yo. Now there's one I'd like to see in a dress…of course, he's hot enough without it, but I'd be willing to bet he's got some damn fine legs hidden under those jeans."

The violet-eyed man glanced to the other man. "Didn't both Riku and Leon warn you about that shit? I'm surprised neither of them have beat you to a bloody pulp yet."

The Turk scoffed as he fumbled with the zipper on his jacket. "Stone Cold would have to catch me in the act to let his emotions override him enough to do anything like that, and hell if I'm gonna let that happen. He's taken on too much responsibility as a leader here. No matter how much he loves that kid, he's not going to put payback above the morale of the community."

Zack watched with a thoughtful expression as Reno finally managed to zip up his jacket. "That's surprisingly astute…although I don't know if I'd be willing to risk my neck on being right about it. Leon's not quite _that _predictable in this situation; we've never seen him in love like this before...Besides, what about Riku? Don't let his age or appearance fool you; that kid's the most powerful of all of us."

The redhead shrugged and stumbled, obviously not handling the amount of alcohol they had consumed as well as the former SOLDIER beside him. "Yeah, the kid's pretty damn impressive…but have you seen him use his power other than during a situation that seriously warranted it? I doubt he's ever tapped his full potential, and he probably never will. I don't know if he's incredibly responsible or just damaged goods, but he doesn't whip out the Keyblade or call upon the forces of light and darkness over anything short of a major threat to the worlds or his loved ones…and that don't include _him_, yo."

The raven-haired man touched the Turk's shoulder to steady him as they turned into another alley before dropping his arm to his side once more. "It almost sounds as if you're _planning _on taking advantage of those qualities. I know you have your flaws, but I thought you were at least better than that…this is a kid we're talking about."

"I'm not planning anything," Reno waved off the other man's concern, which caused him to sway slightly. Then he smirked as his eyes gleamed mischievously. "Of course, we both know I've never been once to pass up an opportunity if it presents itself…and I'm always on the lookout for what I can push and what I can't."

The redhead abruptly stopped walking and continued speaking before Zack could comment on that last remark. "…And it's sort of hypocritical to say the kid can do as much for the restoration project as he does and have a relationship with a guy ten years older than him, but then say 'he's just a kid' if someone else thinks of putting him in a position that a sixteen-year-old shouldn't be. I figure, Stone Cold's just as much to blame if me or anyone else decides to take advantage of the kid's condition, yo."

Zack set his jaw. "No one is trying to take advantage of Riku…and least of all Leon. They haven't gotten nearly that far yet, and he's been good about not pressuring Riku as his boyfriend _or_ as a leader. Even if all of what you just said were true, you still shouldn't be thinking of the kid like that. Just because he's been used in the past doesn't mean that's all he's good for, and it doesn't make it okay to use him for something else."

"Hey, I wasn't criticising," said the Turk as he held up his hands. Then he took on a decidedly businesslike expression. "Look, I know what the kid is, yo. It doesn't take a genius to figure it out, you know. Anyway, I think it's probably a good idea to _keep_ him docile. As far as Stone Cold goes, I wouldn't be surprised if somewhere in his head, he's thinking the same thing."

Reno blinked and looked slightly amused. "By the way, how do you know he's not pressuring the kid? You think he'd tell _you _if he were pushing him too far? ...And could you honestly be with _that _kid and keep it above the waist for this long if you lived with him? 'Cause I sure a shell couldn't." He scoffed again, "Shit, I don't even have that relationship and I'm trying to get below the waist…technically, I've already-"

The redhead was cut off as two large hands fisted his jacket while slamming him painfully against the alley wall. When the spots cleared from his vision, a pair of abnormally bright, violet, narrowed eyes met his own.

All Reno could do was swear inwardly and vow never to drink that much again around the former SOLDIER.

Zack's voice was dangerously tight as he spoke. "Let me make this _very _clear. I do not care what anyone else says or does about Riku. _I'm_ telling you now, that _you _will not touch him, take advantage of him, and attempt to use him, or take any opportunities that might present themselves regarding him. We both know I do not share either Leon qualms about setting an example or Riku's hesitance about using every ability I possess, even for vengeance. If you hurt that kid in any way, I do not care who else tries to handle it, _nothing _will stop me from punishing you severely _myself_. Understood?"

Head and back still throbbing, Reno simply swallowed and nodded.

The raven-haired man continued to stare into the Turk's eyes for another few seconds before dropping him and simply allowing him to fall the ground.

Zack turned and stormed out of the alleyway without another word.

The former SOLDIER hated to admit that Reno had a point, but he also did not want to be a hypocrite any longer. He was going to speak to Aerith about moving Riku into their guestroom. Then, he had to find Leon.

This was going to be a long evening.


	200. Gravel

_Prompt: Gravel_

_Given by: Lapse - Raevn_

_Setting: Destiny Islands; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Sora/Penelo, Leon/Riku, Tidus/Selphie; Implied Past-Sephiroth/OC

* * *

_

Mrs Tilmitt let Sora in and informed him that Selphie, Kairi, Penelo, and Riku, who was finally visiting from Radiant Garden, were up in Selphie's room. After thanking her, the spiky-haired boy trotted up the stairs and headed straight into the girl's room.

The cerulean-eyed boy paused at the sight that greeted him upon entering. Selphie and Kairi were on the bed, laughing so hard they were crying and holding their sides. Tears uninhibitedly streamed down red faces, which might have been coloured from mirth or embarrassment. Penelo and Riku were both sitting on the floor several feet apart and conversing as thought there were not two hysterical girls across the room from them.

"I still…cannot believe…that _you_…said that…" Kairi managed out between renewed bouts of laughter. "I would have…expected it from…_her_!" The auburn-haired girl pointed vaguely at Selphie before she began laughing too hard to make any sort of sense once again.

Selphie merely nodded while Riku flushed slightly and Penelo looked mildly insulted. "I just thought that he might have some experience in that area…it's not like I can talk to my brother about this sort of thing without hearing about how he's gonna kick Sora's butt if I rush into anything…"

"Well at least you've been threatened too now," commented Selphie as she wiped her eyes and sat up on the bed. "So you don't feel left out or undermined."

"Yeah, you can cause just as much trouble for- Oh, hi Sora," Kairi smiled as she sat up and noticed their friend in the doorway.

"Hi guys," the spiky-haired teen walked in, kissed Penelo's cheek, gripped Riku's shoulder, and then sat on the floor between them. "Wait…who threatened Penelo? And why…?"

"Riku just made it clear that there would be severe consequences for mistreating or hurting you in any way," replied Penelo, clearly fighting back a smile.

"Riku!" Sora turned to face his friend with what was clearly supposed to be a fierce expression.

Riku merely arched an eyebrow. "What…? You threatened Squall during your first visit after we got together…I think I heard something about 'going Heartless on his ass'?"

All three girls chuckled as the cerulean-eyed boy blushed slightly. "Yeah…but, uh, that's different. Leon's big and carries a big sword…and he's a guy."

"Hey! That's sexist!" called Selphie as she put her hands on her hips. "Penelo's just as good a fighter as you or my Tie-tie."

"…And Riku's the best on the islands…or was…" Kairi blinked confusedly for a second before waving it away. "Anyway, what did you think Leon was going to do to him? Beat him…molest him…rape him…? Selphie…stop thinking whatever you're thinking, 'cause that expression is freaking me out."

"Of course not," Sora replied hastily, ignoring Selphie's guilty blush as Riku looked at her with a slightly disturbed expression. "I know Leon wouldn't do anything like that, but you know…there are other ways he could hurt him…"

"Exactly, and Penelo can hurt you in those same ways," stated the silvered adolescent as he returned his attention to Sora. "Hence the friendly warning…which I meant every word of, by the way." A much more impressive fierce look was directed at the blonde girl, who held up her hands in a surrendering gesture.

"I got it;" Penelo stated in mock fear. "I will never crush Sora's little heart in the palm of my hand or attempt to purge him of his purity and light…especially after that warning. If that's your friendly one, I'd hate to be on the receiving end of your non-friendly one."

Obviously missing the humour in his girlfriend's voice, the spiky-haired boy turned a decidedly red colour as he turned to his best friend again. "Riku, you actually _threatened _her?!"

"Isn't that the point? I'm just looking out for you," The cyan-eyed boy did not appear to find this nearly as odd or embarrassing as his friend did. "You did the same thing for me."

Now Sora was looking more annoyed than embarrassed. Clearly, the joke was starting to gravel him. "That's different, and you know it!"

"How so?" asked Riku evenly. Penelo looked at Sora curiously; Selphie and Kairi were clearly straining not to laugh again. "I think it makes just as much sense for me to want to guard your heart as it does for you to try to protect mine. Why should it be any different?"

"Because I'm different from you;" Cerulean eyes hardened slightly. "I'm not the girl of the relationship."

"Oh come on, like you're not going to be on the bottom too." The silver-haired boy rolled his eyes. Selphie stifled a squeal while Kairi and Penelo giggled.

"Hey! Why would I be on the bottom?" demanded Sora. His outburst was met by silence before all three girl burst into laughter. "What? …And anyway, there's more to being the girl than that…_You _should know, Riku. You're the one limping and covered in love bites…"

Selphie squealed again, this time not attempting to hide it. Kairi giggled and blushed, and Penelo covered her mouth with her hand while her shoulders shook.

Riku merely smirked and answered levelly. "Exactly, which is why your girlfriend was asking me some questions before you arrived. Just think, the next time you guys are fooling around and she tries something new, you'll have to wonder if I'm doing the same thing with Squall. Aren't you glad I ended up with someone older and more experienced who can pass these things along?"

Sora blanched, Selphie's nose started bleeding as she fell over with another squeal, and both Kairi and Penelo fell over as they gripped their sides in waves of laughter.

"Damn it, Riku…I'm never going to be able to have sex again!" Sora dropped his bright red face into his hands and groaned.

The cyan-eyed boy burst into peals of laughter along with the girls. "I was kidding, Sora…but Shiva, you should have seen the look on your face."

"Wait…what?" The spiky-haired boy looked up from his hands.

"We were just messing with you," remarked Penelo, shoulders still shaking with mirth. "Riku just told me to take care of you and then I asked him if he knew how to, you know, pleasure a guy…"

"Ah! I don't want to hear anymore!" The cerulean-eyed boy covered his ears with his hands. "I'm already gonna be lucky to have sex without thinking of Riku for the next month…wait, that didn't sound right…"

"Oh, this just keeps getting better," said Selphie as she wiped her cheeks off with a tissue.

"No, Sora…it ended up the other way around," commented Penelo. She turned to the cyan-eyed boy across the room with a smile. "Riku…you tell him."

The silvered teen nodded, his grin never faltering as he addressed his best friend. "I didn't tell her anything…I couldn't. I'm still a virgin, you dope. I think you're the first of all of us to take that step actually."

Sora's head turned so quickly that Penelo winced at the cracking sound his neck made. "What? I actually got to do something before you?"

"Hey, that's not really the way you should be looking at this," commented the blonde girl. "You're supposed to look at it as a serious commitment…like the rest of us do."

"Not really, just you, Riku, and Kairi," stated Selphie, "And I'm hoping to break Riku of that idea so I can hear some nice steamy boy loving' tales the next time he visits."

"I can't believe Leon and you haven't…done anything yet," stated the cerulean-eyed boy with a bewildered expression. "I mean, even _I_ noticed the way he was looking at you during my last visit."

"Hey, I didn't say we don't do _anything_; we just haven't gone _that _far yet." Riku commented to Sora before turning to Selphie quickly. "No, you aren't getting any details."

The green-eyed girl frowned and Kairi patted her on the back as she suppressed another giggle. Penelo rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the two Keybearers.

Suddenly Sora took on a devious grin. "Great! That means I get to scar you with 'the talk' like my parents did to me after Penelo and I started getting serious."

Riku scoffed and leaned back on his hands as he folded one leg under himself. "I got 'the talk' from Cid and Zack…do you actually think anything you can say is going to be any more awkward than that?"

The blue-eyed boy deadpanned. "Are you serious?"

The silvered adolescent nodded. "Cid covered everything from waiting until I was ready and avoiding putting myself in dangerous positions, while Zack handled the finer points of being with another male as far as what I should expect when I decide I am ready."

"Damn…no wonder you're still a virgin," commented the spiky-haired teen. "I think I'd be chaste for years after that…"

"Wait…are we talking about the same Cid that I met in Traverse Town?" questioned Kairi with a disturbed expression. Riku nodded and the auburn-haired girl started laughing again, "Oh man, I could just see that…"

"But isn't Zack your dad's sexy old friend that you showed us that photo of?" asked Selphie with glazed eyes.

"Yes, but stop thinking whatever you're thinking." Riku gave a slight shudder. "I don't even want to know some of the scenarios your twisted mind has put me into already…"

Sora chuckled before his eyes suddenly widened and then a notable blush covered his face. "Wait…Does that mean that the conversation you were having before I walked in was actually _Penelo _telling _you _how to…?"

Both Penelo and Riku smirked as the cyan-eyed boy nodded. "I think I'm over that talk now…"

Kairi, Penelo, and Riku all started laughing harder than ever as both Selphie and Sora fell over on the spot.

The spiky-haired boy groaned. "…And most people actually _want _their girlfriend and best friend to get along this well…"


	201. Nut

_Prompt: Nut_

_Given by: Nanice_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Implied Leon/Riku, Zack/Aerith, & Past-Sephiroth/OC_

_Author's note: This one has altered so much since I initially thought of it. It even changed as I was writing it. Thanks to Jediempress for listening to me ramble, and question whether this idea made any sense, for most of the afternoon. Thank you for reading and enjoy.

* * *

_

Zack and Cloud were walking down the road together on a shared patrol when the blonde man suddenly stiffened.

The violet-eyed man turned to his friend with a concerned expression. "Is that…?"

"He's nearby…" Cloud turned and his eyes darted in the direction they had come from.

"Seph?" questioned the raven-haired man as he watched the road ahead. He swore when the blonde man nodded. "Maybe he's just watching again…Riku should be on his way home. We should find-"

"He's not headed that way," interrupted Cloud with a confused and focused expression. "He's near _Seventh Heaven_."

Now Zack's brows furrowed. "Why would he-"

A scream from one of the alleys near the tavern interrupted the former SOLDIER before both men drew their swords and broke into a run.

Both men froze at the mouth of an alleyway, with which Zack had recently grown familiar. Two pairs of Mako enhanced eyes widened at the sight before them.

Reno lie against the wall on one side of the alley, face pale and twisted in pain as his hands clutched his nether regions and blood seeped from between his fingers. Before him stood Riku, looking pained but determined, and across the alley, a mere few feet away from the boy, stood Sephiroth, Masamune drawn with blood dripping from the tip.

The winged man's voice was cold and frightening when he spoke. "Stand aside."

The silvered teenager's voice was sorrowful, but surprisingly steady as he replied. "I will not allow this."

A feral grin touched the silvered man's lips before he glanced in Zack and Cloud's direction. "It's nice to see you again, Zachary. Here to fail to save another friend?"

Before Zack could even register the pain that greeting caused him through his shock, Riku had acted.

The boy struck Masamune away with Way to the Dawn, and drove the winged man back a few feet before calling "Get Reno" to the two men at the end of the alley.

Both of the former SOLDIERs instinctively followed the firm order without attempting to process the situation fully. After carrying the now unconscious Turk out of the alley and down the street, Zack glanced behind them with a heavy feeling in his chest. Cloud nodded once when he caught his friend's eye and adjusted his hold on the redhead so he could move him on his own.

"He's not what you remember," stated the blonde man as he shifted Reno against him.

"Just take Reno to Aerith," replied the violet-eyed man. "I can't leave this to Riku."

Cloud nodded and turned toward the tavern as Zack returned to the alleyway. Riku's back was facing him, there was blood on the alley wall ahead of him, and Sephiroth was gone.

Zack rushed to the boy. "Are you alright?"

Riku turned his head in the other direction. "Yes, despite what you and Squall clearly think of me, I _can _handle myself."

The former SOLDIER frowned. He knew they should have expected the adolescent to hear of their warnings to the Turk at some point, but he could not figure out why that would come up now. His eyes fell onto the blood that was beginning to run down the wall. "Are you injured?"

The teenager sounded heartbroken as he responded quietly. "No. I healed it already."

Violet eyes snapped back to the boy. "Is he…"

Riku discreetly wiped his eyes before glancing at the wall again. "He's alive. He just…left. I think he only has one usable wing now…unless he can heal really well."

"Well, Reno only has one useable nut now, and even Aerith can't heal him any better than that, so I'd say they're even if he can't fix it."

The former SOLDIER turned as a voice spoke from behind them. Tifa was approaching from the end of the alley with Rude and Yuffie behind her. "Cloud's still with them. You should get there before Leon does…he'll worry. Aerith already is, but at least she knows you're both okay."

Zack placed a hand on Riku's shoulder. He could feel the boy shaking slightly, although he not tell what emotion might be causing that action, if it wasn't simply shock. He glanced at the mahogany-eyed woman. "Did Reno say what started this?"

Tifa shook her head before looking at Riku, who was still turned to the wall, with a concerned expression. "Sephiroth told him he would make sure he never sought to touch his son again. Riku interrupted while he was in the process of castrating him."

"So when Yuffie made the nut comment, she meant it literally?" questioned the violet-eyed man quietly.

The umber-haired woman nodded. "Fortunately, Riku stopped him before he could finish. I think Reno has a whole new view of the kid after this."

Zack nodded vaguely. His voice sounded distant when he next spoke. "Will you go and tell the others that we're both alright and that Se- He's gone? We'll be there in a moment."

Tifa opened her mouth as though she was going to protest, but she closed it again without a word when Rude touched her shoulder. The mahogany-eyed woman nodded. Rude, who looked more shaken than Zack could ever recall seeing him, wrapped an arm around Tifa's shoulders as they followed a surprisingly tame Yuffie out of the alley.

The former SOLDIER swallowed. "Did Reno-"

"No." The silvered adolescent's eyes were still fixed on the wall before him. "He was drunk and he wasn't thinking. I was cutting through on my way home and ran into him. At first, we were just walking together, but then he grabbed me. Before I even knew what was happening, he had his mouth on my neck and his hands under my clothes. He pinned me against the wall the way my dad just pinned him, and then I hit him."

"With a Dark Aura or the Keyblade?" questioned Zack after the boy had paused long enough that he clearly did not intend to volunteer any more information.

"Neither; I just hit him. I punched him in the stomach, then in the face before warning him never to touch me again and taking off." The boy finally turned to Zack, his eyes filled with pain, shame, anger, fear, and a very strong resolve. "None of you should have taken it any further than that…but this…-"

"It's too much," the violet-eyed man agreed. "I'm sorry Riku. Neither Leon or I ever meant…we just wanted to protect you."

"So does he," replied the cyan-eyed boy. "But I can't let this keep happening."

Zack nodded; his expression pained, disgusted, and regretful. "I can't believe he did this. I could see a warning, but he never should have done something so…permanent and twisted. This…this is inhuman."

The raven-haired man's eyes suddenly grew frightened as he grabbed the teenager's shoulder again. "Riku, I don't want you to be alone with him again if it can be helped. He's too dangerous…I thought he would start to come back to us once he started watching over you, but Leon and Cloud were right. We can't expect him to stop short of killing you every time."

"I have to find a way to help him, Zack…I have to stop him…he-" Riku turned his face away again. "I wanted him to come back too…I'm sorry."

The former SOLDIER felt a weight settle in his chest. He did not want the boy to lose hope, but he did not have any to offer either. If Sephiroth was willing to mutilate someone and think he was well within his rights to do so, then the man Zack knew might truly be gone.

He was spared the need to reply as he heard footsteps rapidly approaching before Leon turned into the alley at a run.

Steel-blue eyes widened and his pace quickened as he saw the blood on the wall. "Riku…"

As if awakening from a trance, the named boy released a shaky breath and his shoulders shuddered before he turned and took a few steps forward to meet his boyfriend in a tight embrace.

"Are you alright?" asked the scarred man as he dropped his head atop the teenager's silvered one. Riku nodded and then Leon glanced at Zack with a questioning expression.

The violet-eyed man nodded as well. "I'm sorry…I shouldn't have left him. How's Reno?"

"He's a little shaken, but he'll be fine. Cloud's taking him home now." The sable-haired man stroked his young lover's hair before holding the boy away from him enough to see his face. The Gunblade wielder's own featured became pained when he looked into Riku's eyes. "You don't have to decide what to do tonight…and whatever you decide, you aren't doing it alone. Promise me that."

The cyan-eyed teen nodded again. "Thanks Squall."

Leon caressed the boy's cheek with an almost pitying expression. Then, both turned their heads to look at Zack. "Are you sure you're okay?" asked Riku.

The former SOLDIER nodded once again. "I just…would it be too cliché to say that I'm disappointed? I thought…even like this, I thought he was better than that."

Riku nodded his understanding, and Leon pulled the boy closer to him again. "We should all head home. Aerith was pretty worried when I came here, she'll want to see that you're both alright."

Zack took once more glance at the alley wall, and then he nodded. "Yeah, let's go home."

They left the alley in silence, which was surprisingly broken by Riku, who said Zack's name as they turned the next corner.

The violet-eyed man turned to the silvered adolescent and made a questioning sound in his throat. Cyan eyes rose to meet his as the boy's head remained against Leon's shoulder as he asked his question softly. "Can I stay with Leon tonight?"

Zack ran a hand through his hair and released a heavy breath that almost sounded like a weak chuckle. "Yes. I think you'll need him. I know I'm really glad to be going home to Aer tonight."

The former SOLDIER vaguely heard Riku thank him before a deep silence settled over them once again.


	202. Tree

_Prompt: Tree_

_Given by: Nanice_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Zack/Aerith, Tifa/Rude

* * *

_

Zack laid on his back under a large tree in the park, or what would soon be once it was completed, with his hand folded beneath his head as he gazed at Aerith, who was sitting crossed legged on the grass beside him.

He suddenly grinned brightly. "Hey, Aer…? Do you remember how we used to talk about setting up a flower shop after everything was said and done?"

The green-eyed woman smiled as she pulled a sandwich out of the basket lying on the ground beside her. "Yes, I considered opening one on Traverse Town, but I don't think it would have done very well there. It wouldn't have been the same without you anyway."

"Well, considering how much everyone admires the community gardens and how well the park is being received, I think one would still do well here." The raven-haired man sat up as his fiancée passed him a sandwich and a soda. "We should do it."

"I don't know if that would work right now," Aerith smiled with a slightly dreamy expression before glancing at the man beside her again. "But as soon as it's more practical, we definitely should."

Zack's grin increased as he swallowed a bite of his sandwich and took a sip of his drink. "One thing I learned from everything that happened is not to wait on the important things. You, Riku, my friends, our dreams, those are what's important. If you still want to open the shop, then let's start making it happen."

Aerith chuckled after taking a bite of her own sandwich. "I'm glad you have your priorities in order, but I don't think it's quite that easy to set up a shop. We'd need a building, which are still being put up…and you can't leave the patrols and everything you're doing for the restoration…I'm also in charge of healing; how would we run it and keep up with supplies and everything right now?"

The former SOLDIER waved off the reasoning with an easy smile. "I've already got all of that covered. Leon and Cid talked to some of the other shop keeps on the waiting list, and after everything we've done for the restoration, they all volunteered to let our shop be placed before theirs on the queue. Cloud wants to reinstate the delivery service he had going somewhere else here, and he'd be more than willing to pick up supplies for us. Riku said he would open before school, and come help you close after he's finished putting in some hours on the town's computer system whenever I cannot. I don't patrol everyday and soon they won't need me as much for all of the construction, now that we have everyone more organised and Cid and Barret have their own teams working under them, so I can run it a couple days a week easy and you can handle overseeing the health clinic on those days. Plus, it's not like we'd have it open everyday; we could close it on weekends and holidays…whenever we need to."

Green eyes blinked for a moment before Aerith grinned. "You really have put a lot of thought into this, haven't you? I can't believe you've talked to everyone about it already."

The violet-eyed man shrugged, still grinning. "It's what you always wanted…what we always planned to do…Of course I've put some work into it."

"Then you're right," Aerith said with a serene smile before leaning over to place a kiss on Zack's lips. "We should do it. Thank you."

"Anything for my angel," replied the raven-haired man as he stroked his fiancée's cheek.

Suddenly, the green-eyed woman released a light laugh as she leaned back. Zack arched an eyebrow at her. "What was that for?"

"It's just something Yuffie was saying when she and I were helping Tifa clean up the tavern the other day…about how our little family tree has grown." Aerith continued to smile contently as she explained. "She said that the three of us were as good as sisters, and that you and Cloud might as well have always been brothers. Cid and Vincent look out for all of us, like uncles or something. Then Rude and Denzel came into Tifa's life, and they became a 'real' family, and now… Well, I know you don't like to think of this, because of what it suggests, but you have become a sort of father figure to Riku. I know I could never replace Hilargi, but the boy could use some mothering…if he'll let me. Now with him volunteering to work at the shop around school, and you helping when you aren't busy with patrols…it's like we're a real family too."

"I like that," commented the former SOLDIER. He reached one hand over and placed it over Aerith's, rubbing a thumb over her knuckles and feeling the engagement ring on her fourth finger. "And soon ours will be official too…of course, being the eldest sister; it's only fair you get to be the first. Although I have to say, you look really good for the stepmother of a teenager."

The green-eyed woman laughed and intertwined their fingers. "No better than you look for the godfather of a sixteen-year-old." She smiled again, "I can't believe this is all finally happening."

Zack smiled as well, looking over at the gazebo in the centre of the park, which was decorated with flowers and a large banner already. "Just think, tomorrow, we'll be getting married in this same park."

Aerith leaned her head on Zack's shoulder with a sigh. "I can't wait."


	203. Candle

_Prompt: Candle_

_Given by: Nanice_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Zack/Aerith, Leon/Riku, Cid/Shera, Tifa/Rude, Mickey/Minnie, Zell/Quistis, Tseng/Elena, Sora/Penelo

* * *

_

Zack smiled as he stood by the altar before all of his friends and family. He could see Elmyra sitting in the front, holding a white handkerchief with flowers embroidered into it. Shera sat beside her, next to an empty seat that Cid would soon fill. Vincent and Reeve were also sitting in the front row, dressed smartly in dark suits and smiling at Zack serenely when he caught their eyes.

Behind them was Barret, whom Zack guessed did not wear a suit often, but whom also looked pleased to be there. Zack grinned upon remembering how Marlene had squealed in delight when Aerith asked her to be their flower girl. In that row were also Rude and Reno, as well as Tseng and Elena, who were holding hands and whispering to one another. Each of the Turks looked like they could be attending a wedding or a meeting back at Shinra.

In the next row, he could see Zell excitedly whispering to Irvine, whose idea of dress clothes looked much like his standard clothes. Ellone was also there. The patient woman was clearly ignoring the subtle flirts Irvine was no doubt offering. On her other side sat King Mickey and Queen Minnie, who had surprised Zack by flying all the way from Disney Castle after receiving a letter from Riku, which informed them of the wedding date.

Cait Sith and Nanaki sat in the last row their few guest used, along with Kairi, Sora, and Sora's girlfriend, Penelo, all of whom had crashed the wedding. Not that Zack and Aerith were unhappy to have them there; they simply had not expected them to make it to Radiant Garden at that time of year. Apparently, the three teenagers had decided to come as soon as Sora received Riku's letter, telling him of the event.

Music began to play as the flower curtains in the back parted. Everyone smiled as Cloud and Tifa walked down the aisle side by side. The mahogany-eyed woman looked beautiful, but so different than she usually did in the long periwinkle blue dress. Cloud likewise looked out of place in his dark blue suit, but both were smiling more brightly than they normally ever did.

Once Cloud took his place beside Zack and Tifa had taken hers across the altar, Leon and Quistis walked down the aisle. Both looked far more accustomed to, and regal in, the formal clothes. Zell winked at his girlfriend as she passed, and Quistis smiled back at him before taking her place by Tifa, while Leon moved to Cloud's other side.

Next, Yuffie and Riku awkwardly walked down the aisle, both of them looked as though they were ready to start laughing at any given moment while they avoided eye contact with everyone else. Zack smiled and wondered what they had been talking about while they were waiting. As Riku smiled at him softly before taking his place beside Leon, the former SOLDIER knew he had no need to worry.

Denzel walked as slowly as was humanly possible and stared at the rings balanced on the pillow in his hands the entire time he walked down the aisle. He smiled broadly and whispered, "I did it" to Riku, who offered him a grin once he arrived at the altar. Marlene followed, smiling brightly as she garnished the aisle with flowers while she walked down it nearly as slowly as Denzel had.

Zack glanced to his left with a grin. Cloud was smiling as he watched the little girl. Leon was discreetly altering his gaze between the wedding guests and his young lover beside him before looking as though he were trying to find something he could not see. Riku was gazing at something in the far back of the church with a serene but curious expression. Without altering his gaze, the silvered adolescent discreetly stroked Leon's hand with his fingertips to assure him that he was fine.

Zack followed the boy's gaze to the statues in the back of the church, and then he realised that one was actually a man. The former SOLDIER understood why Leon could not figure out what Riku was looking at, as even with his Mako enhanced vision he had to strain to make out the figure. The man appeared tall and broad. A long cloak hid his clothes as well as what appeared to be a hump or an extra appendage on his back. He had sleek dark hair streaked with white, and midnight blue eyes that shone with intrigue as he met the adolescent's stare.

The violet-eyed man's heart sped up as Angeal shifted his gaze onto him before offering a small, proud smile and a brief nod. Zack smiled in return and had to blink back a few tears upon recognising his old mentor.

The winged man gave his former protégée a look that clearly said _pay attention now _before the music abruptly changed to a familiar tune as the rest of the guests stood.

A few of the guest looked curious when they realised it was not 'here comes the bride' playing. Even Zack was confused for a moment until he recognised the melody as his and Aerith's song. Then Cid lead the green-eyed bride to be onto the aisle and Zack actually chuckled as she quickly offered him a smirk and a quirked eyebrow before giggling and then smiling broadly at him as she walked down the aisle.

Cid squeezed Aerith's hand and whispered something to her that made her blink back a few tears of her own before turning to take his place by his wife. Zack took his fiancée's hand as she took the last few steps to the altar. Then Tifa took Aerith's bouquet and handed her a lit candle, while Cloud handed one to Zack.

The vows seemed to pass in a joyous blur to the raven-haired man, who simply could not remove his eyes from the woman who was becoming his wife as he spoke. Then they each lit a large candle on the altar together using each of theirs before Zack heard the words he had been waiting to hear for the better part of a decade.

"You may now kiss the bride."


	204. Chibi

_Prompt: Chibi_

_Given by: Smiley Smackdown_

_Setting: Destiny Islands; Pre-KH_

_Pairing: Implied OC/OC (Mr & Mrs. Hiruma, aka: Sora's Parents) & Past-Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi)__Author's note: I am still taking in word lists for this series. You can send them via PM or review. Thank you.

* * *

_

"Sora, sweetie, he'll be okay." Mrs. Hiruma soothed her son's unruly dampened hair as she spoke. "Leo's just getting cleaned up…like bath time."

The small boy nervously looked at the washing machine, which currently contained his chibi tonberry plush and that odd plushie that his best friend always had, both in pillowcases that had not needed to be cleaned. Then the child looked down at his robed body.

The spiky-haired youth had come home with his friend Riku, both carrying their beloved plushies and both covered in water colour paint that the blue-eyed boy had apparently coated half of his day-care classroom with when he accidentally knocked over a shelving unit.

"Are you sure?" questioned Sora.

Mrs. Hiruma nodded and smiled, "Of course, sweetie."

"Yeah, Sora…we get wet all the time and it doesn't hurt us," stated the brunette's best friend as he approached wearing a pair of Sora's sweat pants and a T-shirt.

Mrs. Hiruma released a quiet sigh of relief at the sight of the boy's damp silver hair. With how finely textured and lightly coloured the boy's hair was, she had been afraid the colour would stick to his long tresses for longer. She could not imagine having to explain to Ms. Akeru that Sora had accidentally dyed her son's hair a rainbow of colours for an unknown length of time.

"I guess so…" Sora smiled at his best friend; apparently, if Riku could be all right with his precious toy being in the wash, then it could not be terrible after all.

Mrs. Hiruma smiled and made a mental note to drop off some scones at the Akeru's apartment as the two boys headed to Sora's room to play while they waited for their plushies to finish their 'bath time'…Riku somehow always knew how to handle Sora, and he seemed to like her scones.

The blue-eyed woman called both boys back some time later and returned their clean, dry, and thankfully paint-free plushies. Sora hugged his tonberry tightly before thanking his mom and running to his room to show Leo the mega block castle he and Riku had made.

Mrs. Hiruma smiled and shook her head. She was sure her son's quickly changing moods would be a bit of a throw-off when he was older, but for the time being, she found them amusing. The smile fell from her mouth when her gaze landed on her son's best friend, who was standing across the room.

The small cyan-eyed boy was holding his odd plushie, whom she recalled was named Thackary, against himself as he buried the lower part of his face in its head. His eyes looked sad, and oddly frightened.

"Riku…what's the matter?" The blue-eyed woman walked over to the child and kneeled a few feet in front of him.

The silvered youth glanced at her before looking away and shaking his head, "Nothing…"

Mrs. Hiruma smiled and lowered her voice. "I promise I won't tell anyone…now, what's the matter? Is something wrong with Thackary?"

Bright teal eyes looked down at the doll. "He doesn't smell the same."

Being Sora's mother made Mrs. Hiruma both completely aware of the fact that she was missing something, and equally comfortable with that fact. "Well…the detergent smell should wear off after a couple days…"

The silver-haired boy nodded slowly, but he was still clearly upset. Mrs. Hiruma bit her lip. "Was their something special about his scent?"

The child nodded, and then glanced at the smiling woman. His voice dropped to barely a whisper and his eyes looked slightly nervous, as though he we speaking of a rather taboo subject. "I think it was my dad's smell…"

Mrs. Hiruma was not sure how to respond to that. Ms. Akeru had never explained why her husband did not move to their island with her, and neither she nor Riku ever spoke of the man. Sometimes Mrs. Hiruma, as well as a few of their other co-workers, wondered if Riku's father had something to do with the accident that led to Ms. Akeru's condition, or the boy's nightmares and antisocial behaviour. Sora had once told her that Riku was waiting for his father to 'come home' one day, which meant the man must have still been alive when they moved.

Of course, none of this was appropriate to bring up to an eight year old. It was also possible that Ms. Akeru simply used a detergent or scented oil that the boy associated with his father's scent. "Oh…well, perhaps your mom can help-" She was surprised when the child interrupted her by shaking his head. The silvered youth was never contrary.

Clearly seeing and probably misinterpreting her concern, Riku offered an explanation that confused the petite woman even more. "She doesn't like to talk about him."

Mrs. Hiruma was not sure whether she was pushing it or not with her reply, but she hoped the other woman would understand if it was not the right thing to say…she was a mother too after all. "I'm sure if you told your mom that you want to talk about him-" Again, the boy shook his head.

"She gets upset," explained the cyan-eyed boy. "It makes her sicker."

There was an unusually mature quality to the child's tone, and Mrs. Hiruma understood that she was expected to keep her promise from the start of their conversation. Blinking back the sudden wetness in her eyes, the petite woman reacted the only way she could think of; she pulled the boy into a hug.

Sora or any of his other friends would have asked what was wrong, because they could not understand why she would find this answer upsetting. Riku merely removed one arm from his plushie and reached up to pat Mrs. Hiruma's shoulder.

Suddenly the blue-eyed woman had an idea of why the child was so fascinated with the other islands. Even as mature as he was, he was still just a small boy.

He did not understand yet that there are some things you simply cannot escape.


	205. Tantalising

_Prompt: Tantalising_

_Given by: Smiley Smackdown_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Tifa/Rude, Cid/Shera; Pre-Leon/Riku; Post-Zack/Aerith & Zell/Quistis_

_Author's note: This follows Silver; a few people wanted to see what happened the next time they met. Thank you for reading.

* * *

_

"I still can't believe you told her," Reno whined to Rude as the two men and Tifa walked towards Cid and Shera's house. "I'm holding you responsible of she blabs, yo."

"Tifa would not divulge anything I tell her in confidence," replied the bald man, his arm around the named woman's shoulders.

"Of course not," agreed the mahogany-eyed woman with a small smile. "If Rude doesn't want everyone else to know that his partner is a child-molesting idiot who can't differentiate between genders, then I won't tell anyone."

Rude smirked as Reno glared at the woman slightly. "I just groped him because I couldn't tell if he was a 'he' or not…and you didn't see the kid. You wouldn't have been too sure either, yo."

"Rude figured it out the first time he spoke," commented Tifa as her boyfriend's smirk became slightly more prominent. "And you don't seem exactly turned off by the fact that 'she' turned out to be a boy."

The redhead smirked. "Again, you didn't see him, yo."

Tifa chuckled, Reno shrugged, and Rude simply shook his head a she knocked on Cid and Shera's front door. The Gummi pilot answered; "About damn time you three showed up. We were beginning to wonder if you got lost again."

"No, we just thought we'd take the scenic route," replied Tifa as the trio entered. "You guys have really gotten everything started here…it looks good."

"It's nothing without the people who made it home," stated Aerith with a smile as she approached from the other room. Tifa squeezed Rude's hand before walking away to join the other woman. The green-eyed woman glanced from Rude to Tifa. "I'm so glad they found their way back...you look happy."

The mahogany-eyed woman smiled. "I am…I was so worried. But now I have Rude, Denzel, Cloud, you…it's like the whole family is finally coming together again." The smile faltered slightly. "Any word on him yet?"

Aerith shook her head, looking sad but hopeful. "No, but I'm not giving up on him yet. He'll find me…I know he will."

"Zell said something similar about Quistis," commented Tifa with a smile. "Unlike Leon, I know what you two mean though. ...And obviously, there's still hope…Rude and Reno are back now, and none of us expected to see Shera again. And if I were to put my Munny on anyone returning, it would be Zack."

"Me too;" The brunette's small smile turned into a slight smirk. "And Leon might understand what we do sooner than he expects."

One of Tifa's eyebrows arched as she smirked in return. "Oh really…? Cloud said he was funny about the new kid. So where is our world's new personal little Keyblade wielder?"

"Come on, I'll introduce all of you." Aerith turned and led Tifa, Rude, and Reno into the sitting room, where most of their other friends that had returned to Radiant Garden were sitting or standing and talking over drinks and snacks.

Zell waved to them as he animatedly recounted the story of how he befriended some gypsies on the world he had escaped to when the Heartless took over to an enthralled-looking Yuffie. Cid joined Shera as she and Barret listened to a young man named Gippal talk about a new engine idea he had. Marlene and Denzel were playing in the corner.

They finally approached Leon, Cloud, and a boy in his mid-teens with slumped shoulders, long silver hair, and bangs that hung into eyes, all of whom were holding a much quieter conversation about the restoration and the town's defences.

"Hey, look who's here," said Aerith as the three males turned to her and the other three. The boy kept his face downcast and turned away slightly so most of his face remained hidden from view.

"I'm glad you two made it back," commented Leon.

"Yeah, Tifa was driving us crazy," added Cloud. He smiled slightly when the umber-haired woman hit him playfully on the shoulder.

"Have you met Riku?" asked Leon as he gestured to the boy beside him, his hand just hovering a centimetre away from the small of the adolescent's back. Tifa shared a brief knowing look with Aerith. "This is Rude and Reno."

"Pleased to meet you," commented Rude with a small incline of his head, which the boy returned.

"Nice to have some fresh blood around here, yo...-" Reno begun raising a hand to offer the boy, but the silvered-teen took a half step back and raised his head slightly, which cause the man to pause halfway.

As a hint of bright turquoise eyes shone through the veil of silver bangs, Reno's own eyes widened, Rude smirked, and Tifa arched an eyebrow, thinking that Leon had good taste when it came to males…even though she had never heard of him going for one before.

One corner of Riku's mouth turned upwards in the slightest smirk as he addressed the surprised redhead. "Sorry, I wasn't sure what you planned to do with that." His eyes glanced at the Turk's still-raised hand briefly.

Aerith, Tifa, Cloud, and Leon all looked slightly confused by the greeting. They looked even more so when Reno smirked openly. "Well, a tantalising girl like you can never be too careful now, can she?"

Aerith's expression was blank, Cloud was looking at Reno as if the man was insane, Leon narrowed his eyes at the Turk, and Tifa looked from Reno's smirk and wandering eyes to Rude's slight grin before her eyes widened and she placed a hand over her mouth.

"Yeah, some pervert might try to pin me up against a wall and do unspeakable things to me," commented the silvered teen in a flat tone.

Reno chuckled slightly. "It figures you would have one of those memories that let you quote back shit like that, yo."

Leon turned his eyes to Riku. "I take it you've met?"

"Sort of…we ran into each other when I was looking for you after you moved," replied the adolescent as he glanced at the steel-eyed man. "I didn't ask his name though…I left in a rush actually…"

Tifa was clearly struggling not to laugh now. Aerith and Cloud both turned their attention to her. "What's with you?" asked the former SOLDIER.

The mahogany-eyed woman shook her head and placed a hand on Rude's arm for leverage as she struggled not to laugh. The bald man placed a hand over hers and turned to Cloud.

"Hasn't Tifa ever told you how amusing she thinks it is to find ammunition?"

Aerith suddenly smiled and placed a hand over her mouth as well. Leon placed a hand on the small of Riku's back as he continued to glare at the redhead.

Cloud smiled lightly. "This one isn't going to get old for a long time..."


	206. Lightsaber

_Prompt: Lightsaber_

_Given by: Smiley Smackdown_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Leon/Riku, Zack/Aerith, & Implied Post-Sephiroth/OC

* * *

_

Leon, Aerith, and Zack were sitting at the kitchen table in Leon's house and looking over the short divider wall that separated the kitchen from the sitting room.

Sora was stretched out across the sofa, flipping through a manga while Riku was sitting on the floor, teaching Enkeli how to play fetch.

"Come on boy…now you're supposed to bring it back…" The puppy barked and wagged his tail as he looked from Riku to the ball and to Riku again. The cyan-eyed boy finally sighed and crawled over to retrieve the ball himself, before rolling it across the floor again. Enkeli chased it, pounced, on it, and then barked and wagged his tail at the silvered adolescent once again.

"At least you know Riku's trainable," Aerith commented to Leon as the teen crawled across the floor to retrieve the ball and roll it again. Leon smirked slightly and Zack chuckled as he shook his head.

"He'll get it sooner or later," commented Sora from the sofa. "From everything you've said about Pluto, he has to be smart."

"There no rule that says a son has to be like his dad, Sora." The silver-haired teen rolled the ball once again and watched the puppy chase after it. "Good boy, Enkeli…Now bring it back…"

The tightness in his best friend's voice caused Sora to look up from his manga. He immediately felt bad when he saw the hint of pain that laced his friend's expressive eyes. He had not meant to bring up that painful subject…in fact the whole purpose of this visit was to try to cheer Riku up.

Cerulean eyes danced around the room looking for a quick way to change the subject…and finally, they fell onto Riku's latest Star Wars novel. Sora had actually been meaning to bring up a question he had sometime…

The spiky-haired teen sat up straight on the sofa and dropped his manga aside. "Hey Riku…?"

The cyan-eyed adolescent was still playing with Enkeli. "Hmm…?"

"Do you know where Xemnas got those lightsabers?"

"Those weren't lightsabers Sora…Good boy." Riku rolled the ball again.

"Of course they were," retorted the blue-eyed teen. "What else could they have been?"

The silver-haired teen crawled after the ball once again. "Uh-uh, it was some sort of spell…"

The brunette teen furrowed his eyebrows. "Those _had _to be lightsabers. They were like…laser-sword-thingies."

"They weren't swords…they didn't have hilts or anything. Come on, Enkeli…" The silvered adolescent patted his thighs playfully, but the puppy still refused to return the ball to him.

Sora seemed to think for a moment, and then replied in a tone that clearly meant he didn't think there was any room for argument. "His hands were waving all over the place and he had all those lights and that weird coat on…I don't think either of us saw them well enough to notice if they had hilts or anything."

"Well I did, and they weren't swords…" Riku sighed before crawling after the ball again. "Maybe he's just too young to get this…"

Sora looked slightly crossed now. "But how can you be sure they weren't?"

"Is anyone else finding this oddly entertaining?" Zack stated quietly as he smirked while watching the two boys. Aerith nodded with a smile and Leon merely continued to watch the teenagers.

"Lightsabers don't make wounds that bleed…and your wounds didn't bleed…" Sora suddenly looked queasy but Riku did not notice as he was retrieving Enkei's ball yet again.

Riku sat back on his heels and turned his head to look at his best friend. "Any sort of laser would seal the wound so it wouldn't bleed…and I think I would have noticed hilts or something when Xemnas tried to cut me in half with the damn things, thanks-"

"What?!" Zack, Leon, and Aerith entered the room.

"You said it all went fine," Zack demanded as he looked at the others. At the adolescents' puzzled expressions, he added, "When you had to use the Keyblades and save the worlds. You said it all went fine."

"It did," stated Sora, looking confused. "We came out fine."

"Yeah, we obviously weren't that injured if we could fight off a ton of Nobodies afterwards," added Riku.

"Most of that was actually you…that weird flash thing you do is pretty cool," commented the spiky-haired teen.

Both boy's adopted a similar bemused expression before Riku could respond, as Leon suddenly dropped to one knee before the silvered adolescent and pulled him up to stand on his own knees. Then, before the boy could ask what he was doing, the scarred man quickly pulled his shirt up to reveal most of his abdomen.

Leon's expression fell, Aerith gasped and brought a hand to her mouth, and Zack hissed in sympathy; "Damn…you weren't exaggerating."

"You always talk about it like it was more of an adventure then a battle," commented Aerith to Sora.

"Well it was," replied the spiky-haired teen, still looking a bit confused. "I mean, I didn't really realise how serious I should have been taking it all until I thought Riku was a gonner…that was the first time I was really scared throughout all of it. Well, I was pretty worried when Riku was missing before that…and when I thought Goofy died…and it was pretty scary when Riku was possessed…and the whole thing with Maleficent wasn't-…actually, why didn't I take all of that more seriously?"

Riku rolled his eyes; "Since when are you ever that serious?"

"Oh, good point." The blue-eyed boy shrugged.

Cyan eyes met the steel blue ones directly in front of them. "Squall…? Can you let go now? It's kind of cold…"

The Gunblade wielder shook his head slowly as he smoothed down the adolescent's shirt. "We shouldn't have let you two do so much on your own…you're just kids and you never-"

"Hey," Sora interrupted. "I wasn't on my own. I had Donald and Goofy with me the whole time…and either you guys, the king, Riku, or some of my other friends on different worlds. I mean, considering that we only had two close calls, I think we did pretty good."

"You did more than just 'pretty good'," commented Aerith. "But you shouldn't have had to endure so much. Leon's right, you're only children."

"You guys were about their ages when we fled this world, you know." Zack rubbed the green-eyed woman's back as he turned his gaze at Riku. "Of course, you didn't go through anything that extreme either…but we can't change the past. If anything like that ever happens again, we aren't letting them go it alone. We'll be with them every step of the way."

"You were last time," said Sora. He turned to look at Leon, whose gaze was still on Riku's abdomen, even though it was covered. "We're all a part of each others' hearts, remember? How do you think we had the strength to endure all of that? We got it from our friends…and courage and comfort and well…everything."

"Well, next time, we're going to be a physical presence as well," replied the raven-haired man, who was still watching Leon and Riku.

"We aren't supposed to have an entourage." Riku raised a slender hand to touch Leon's cheek, effectively bringing the man's attention back to the conversation. "Technically, Sora shouldn't have brought Donald and Goofy along all that time. Not that I'm complaining…I'm glad that he had them, but according to the rules, you guys aren't even supposed to know that other worlds exist."

The brunette teen glanced at the others; " Besides, you had your own world to take care of last time and you didn't know us that well…Leon didn't meet Riku until after he had already escaped from the dark realm and Zack never even laid eyes on either of us until the whole thing was over."

The violet-eyed man arched an eyebrow as he turned to Sora again. "Technically, that isn't true…but I see your point. And Riku, I don't care what the rules are, you go off to save the worlds again, I'm coming with you, understood?"

"So am I," stated Leon, placing his hands on the silvered teen's sides. "I can't say you wouldn't have gotten hurt if we were there, but I'm not taking the chance ever again."

"Yeah, because none of you ever got injured in a fight as a kid;" Riku gently ran a slender finger over the scar that crossed the steel-eyed man's nose.

Leon's eyes narrowed slightly. "That's different…_very _different."

"I know," the cyan-eyed boy smiled softly, "And I know you're coming next time."

"Yeah, it's not like I followed the rules last time," added Sora. "Riku was always the responsible one, so if he's over it, then I say the more the merrier."

"Let's not get too carried away." A silver eyebrow arched as Riku addressed his best friend. "We don't want to cause any more trouble then we have to."

"I've always been a trouble maker," commented Zack. "Just ask Aerith." The named woman grinned and nodded.

"I could see that," commented Riku.

Sora turned to Riku. "So they weren't lightsabers?"

"No."


	207. Kitten

_Prompt: Kitten_

_Given by: Brennend_

_Setting: Radiant Garden: Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Leon/Riku, Tifa/Rude, Zack/Aerith, Sora/Penelo_

_Author's Note: This follows Watermelon, Crisis, and Wine. Enjoy, and thank you for reading. Oh, and as far as I know, FFnet did not send an alert for the lat word I posted, for thosee who have questioned it. Thank you.

* * *

_

Sora was sitting on a crate, deep in thought and looking rather bemused as well as somewhat concerned when Tifa walked by to dump the trash from _Seventh Heaven_.

The mahogany-eyed woman approached the spiky-haired teen. "Sora…are you okay?"

The boy looked decidedly uncomfortable. "Yeah…uh, I was just wondering about something…but it's not important."

The woman arched an eyebrow and smiled at the adolescent. "You know, we're all here if you want to talk about anything, right?"

"I know, but this is sort of…" Sora gestured vaguely. "Private and…well…"

"Oh," Tifa smiled softly and sat on one of the other crates. "Is this about Penelo? You know, it's normal to have some questions about your first big relationship. Even Riku has been nervous about certain-"

"Yeah, you see…that's sort of it." The cerulean-eyed boy rubbed the back of his neck and blushed as he laughed nervously. He released a heavy sigh when Tifa raised her eyebrows questioningly. "Okay, you know how Zack and Cloud keep teasing Leon about whatever Yuffie saw him doing to Riku on Halloween? Well…I'm starting to wonder about that…"

The umber-haired woman looked thoughtful for a moment before she quickly brought a hand to her mouth. Sora was still sure he heard a giggle. "Well, sweetie…that's nothing to feel embarrassed about. With how much Yuffie has hinted at it and with all the teasing, it's only natural that you're a little curious."

"Well…yeah, I guess…" The spiky-haired teen suddenly smiled. "Yeah, you're right. My mom's always said I'm too curious." The Keyblade wielder smiled at the mahogany-eyed woman. "So…what happened?"

Tifa's eyebrows shot up. "Well…All I know is that Riku and Yuffie lost a bet and had to wear rather provocative kitten costumes. Leon led Riku away by his leash to go trick or treating, and then the teasing started a couple days later. I never stuck around to hear all the details…you should ask Yuffie. Actually, scratch that; you better ask Zack."

Sora chuckled. "Yeah…Yuffie's probably not much better than Selphie or Kairi would be. Thanks Tifa…uh, do you know where Zack is?"

"Inside, at the corner booth…go on in." The mahogany-eyed woman grinned at the boy's surprised expression. She shrugged, "It's not like anyone in there is going to turn me in…just don't make me sorry."

The spiky-haired boy smiled and headed into the tavern. He quickly spotted the raven-haired man, sitting with Cloud and Reno, and headed over.

Reno put down his drink and quirked an eyebrow. "Does Tifa know you're in here?"

Cloud snorted, "Denzel and Marlene have been in here plenty of times."

The Turk rolled his eyes. "Yeah, 'cause they're likely to try to score some booze, yo."

"She said its fine," stated Sora as he sat down beside Zack. "I was talking to her and she said Zack was the best person to ask about this."

"Ask about what?" questioned the violet-eyed man as he motioned for another round; "…Add a cola."

Sora rubbed the back of his neck and wore an awkward grin. "Uh, I was wondering…well, you guys keep teasing Leon about it but you never actually say what happened…so, uh, naturally, I was curious…"

"Sora, relax." Zack nodded to Rude when he brought their drinks to the booth. "So, Tifa's got you helping around here now?" the former SOLDIER slapped the Turk's shoulder when he merely adjusted his collar. "I'm only teasing you…I'd do the same thing if this was Aerith dream."

Rude smiled slightly and nodded to the raven-haired man before heading back to the bar.

Sora grinned as Zack handed him his cola. "So what did you want to ask about?"

"I wanted to know what happened on Halloween." The teen's eyes widened when Cloud choked on his drink and Reno laughed. "What…? You guys already know."

"What happened to not wanting to hear about anything that Leon does to Riku in the bedroom?" asked Cloud, clearly fighting a smirk.

"Leave him alone, Spiky." Zack was also clearly trying not to smirk. "Why don't you go make sure Leon's a little late? I agree with Tifa on who should tell this tale and we both know he'd sooner kick Reno's ass than dawdle with him."

The blonde man glanced at the Turk, who merely shrugged and took another drink. "Yeah, I'll go ask him a question about the new defensive system…it'll take him nearly half an hour before he realises I don't know what he's talking about. Try not to freak the kid out."

Zack offered a mock salute and Reno snorted as the blue-eyed man left the table. Then, the raven-haired man turned to Sora. "Okay, well you heard about the costume Riku had to wear, right?"

The teenager nodded, "Sexy kitten, yeah…I heard Reno's way-too-detailed description. I've heard about Leon holding his leash while they were trick or treating too…Riku said they should have figured that out for me years ago."

"Yeah, he told us a bit about that," the violet-eyed man chuckled. "Anyway, after they had already gone home, Reno was walking Yuffie home from giving out candy at the bar-"

"Really…?" The spiky-haired boy looked at the Turk. "That was nice of you…are you two-?"

"Hell no;" The redhead glanced at the boy as though he were worried for his mental health. "She didn't look nearly as arousing as your friend, but it still wasn't a good idea to let her walk home alone that late in her costume. Rude, Zack, and Cid were all already home with their girls and Spiky disappeared, so I volunteered. I can be nice sometimes…plus she gave me some candy."

Sora nodded as though this was a perfectly satisfactory answer and then turned back to Zack; "So what happened?"

"We saw a broken window in one of the shops, yo;" The Turk stated before taking another drink.

"And the most obvious person to report to was Leon," continued Zack. "Well, there was a soft light on in the bedroom, but no one answered the door, so Yuffie, assuming they had fallen asleep, decided to sneak into the house. Now, despite all the energy and teasing, that woman can actually be rather sneaky when she really wants to, so she didn't think anything of it when she managed to break into the house and creep to the bedroom without alerting either Leon or Riku."

Sora drew his brows in confusion. "But Riku can tell when most people are around whether they make noise or not…I don't think even a ninja could sneak up on him."

Reno laughed, "He was pretty distracted at the time, yo. I think even you could have snuck in there without him noticing. You think Yuffie would have figured out what they were doing by the sounds they made though."

The cerulean-eyed teen looked at Zack curiously, and the former SOLDIER continued with the story. "Apparently, as she was sneaking toward the room to get Leon, Yuffie heard the bed shifting a lot, some soft mewling noises, and Leon grunting and murmuring something…she thought maybe Riku was having a nightmare or…who knows. Anyway, she decided to poke her head in the door quietly, just in case Leon was comforting Riku, she could slip back out and leave them alone."

"Does Riku still have nightmares?" Sora tilted his head. "I thought he stopped having those years ago."

Zack took on a slightly saddened tone as he responded. "I think these are different nightmares."

"Oh for the love of Shiva, would you just finish the damn story?" Reno rolled his eyes and then turned to Sora. "She opened the door quietly and peeked inside. Your hot little friend still had his costume on, except he had switched into these chap-things he has at some point, so Leonhart had access to his backend, you know? I guess the costume sparked some weird kinky urge in Stone Cold, since he was taking him animal style, still holding the leash, and grunting out 'oh Riku' and 'good kitty' alternatively. At least, that's what Yuffie says…Stone Cold still swears he never called Riku 'kitty' but that's all he's denying about the whole thing, yo."

"Oh…well, that's not too bad…I guess," The spiky-haired adolescent blinked a few times. "Shouldn't I be more weirded out by that?"

"Naw, you and Riku are close enough that hearing about each others relationships shouldn't be that uncomfortable," replied Zack with an easy smile. The smiled faded and he looked slightly concerned as the boy suddenly turned bright red and squeezed his eyes closed. "Sora…you okay?"

"I think the mental image finally caught up, yo." Reno leaned forward a bit and looked over the table and down at the teenager. "Oh yeah…that would freak me out too."

"What…?" The former SOLDIER looked back and forth between the Keyblade wielder and the Turk.

"Here, this'll help," the Turk poured a small amount of his drink into Sora's remaining cola. "Just don't tell Tifa or Cid and don't make it a habit, yo."

Sora took a sip of his drink and refused to look either of the men at the table in the eye. Zack chuckled lightly. "Relax, Sora. If this is a preference discovery, then be glad it's happening now. Leon still refuses to admit that he's bi, since he has never had the reaction to a man that he has to Riku before. Cloud and I are both bi; it's no big deal."

"I think it's more the fact that he's getting turned on my thinking of his best friend in a compromising position, yo." Reno looked slightly disturbed himself. "I agree with Stone Cold on that one anyway, I think anyone can be aroused by the little silver-haired freak. ...But if I were turned on by thinking of some kinky story involving Rude and Tifa…I'd freak. I cannot ever imagine the thought of Rude with _anyone _being a turn on, yo. If anything I'd find it traumatising…"

Zack grinned and turned back to the teenager, who was looking better as he took a bigger taste of his drink. "Oh. That's not a big deal either, Sora. It happens. You're only human. You think Cloud and I have never been stimulated by each other? …Or Leon with those leather pants he always wears? Besides, like Reno just said, everyone seems to be affected by Riku. There's just something about him…maybe it's an angel trait…who knows? But you shouldn't panic over it."

Sora nodded. "You're right. I shouldn't freak out over it. I'm fine. But…do you guys think you could not mention this to Riku?" Both of the men smirked and nodded. "Thanks…I just hope Penelo agrees not to tell Selphie and Kairi when I tell her. I'd _never _live it down."

Reno shrugged. "So don't tell her, yo."

"You don't have a girlfriend, Reno," commented Zack before looking at Sora sympathetically. "Even if I don't intend to, I somehow end up telling Aerith everything."

"Yeah," the spiky-haired teen nodded. "But I bet she doesn't tease you as much as Penelo does me."

The former SOLDIER chuckled, "Oh, you'd be surprised…"


	208. Blanket

_Prompt: Blanket_

_Given by: Brennend_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Implied Zack/Aerith, Leon/Riku, & Post-Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi)

* * *

_

_The winged man stalked down the dimly lit hallway, cutting down anyone who stood in his path. He had not expected to find this many humans in the building, nor did he care about the number of lives he was ending in his quest…he never had._

_**He clawed and tore at the confines of his prison, at the power that dared to suppress his own. He constantly tested his barriers, knowing that one day, a weakness would present itself, and he would certainly know how to exploit it.**_

_The one winged angel held another man up by his throat, promising to ensure a less painful death if he answered a simple question. The man clearly knew he would die either way, and could not possibly guess where such a seemingly innocent question was leading._

_**He had underestimated the strength of the boy, his heart, and the light, and he could admit that. Which meant he would be better prepared the next time he tried to defeat all three. All he needed was one opening, and he knew it would come…eventually.**_

_A single wing twitched, being the only outward sign of the anger that seethed within as the seemingly emotionless man continued on his way. He paid no mind to the many bodies he passed, and wore a frightening grin as he neared his current goal. He was one step closer to the true objective…_

_**If he'd had a physical presence, he would have smirked. Just as surely as the boy could sense a new threat approaching, he could sense a new, if temporary, ally growing stronger. He could use this person just as he had used the witch and several others in the past. Once they weakened the boy's heart, he could try again…**_

Riku lay curled up on his side for some time after waking from his most recent nightmare. He could only recall bits of it, yet he felt suffocated by the blanket of despair that had fallen over him. In these small and lonely hours, the darkness, his father, the mistakes of his past, and the untapped power resting within his very DNA seemed so much closer.

Once he felt strong enough to move, he quickly, and without looking into the shadows of his room or his mind, flicked on his small bedside lamp, grabbed Thackary off his shelf, and pulled his blankets over him as he curled into himself once again. He mentally noted the irony that at sixteen, he was now more comfortable with accepting his insecurities and fears than he was when he was six.

He felt another presence approaching before he even heard the footsteps or picked up the once and now familiar scent. Then the door creaked open and he felt a pair of Mako enhanced eyes fall on him. He still could not bring himself to move again or speak.

"Riku…? Are you alright?" The named youth heard Zack quietly cross the room and felt the bed give as the raven-haired man kneeled on it. Then a hand touched his shoulder. "Ifrit, you're T-shirt's soaked…and you're shivering…what happened?"

The silvered adolescent knew that the man had already figured it out. He just wanted Riku to correct him if he was jumping to the wrong conclusions. The bed shifted further as Zack lay down over the covers and wrapped an arm over the boy. Riku made no protest as his back was pulled against the former SOLDIER.

"The nightmares are getting worse, aren't they?" Zack's voice was barely a whisper. He clearly did not expect an answer, for which Riku was grateful. The teen wondered if perhaps he thought his voice would help…It did. "Or is it just becoming harder to hide your reactions to them? That's what Aerith thinks. I don't know…but I think I need to let you stay with Leon again. Being with him seemed to help more than anything either of us can do."

Riku nodded slightly and murmured "Thank you," before remaining silent for the rest of the evening. He did not want to tell Zack what he saw in his nightmares. One of them had to be able to hold onto hope…and he was not sure how much longer he would be able to.

He knew that soon, he would have to either accept all that he was, or perish under the weight of it all.

He was not sure which alternative frightened him more.


	209. Rope

_Prompt: Rope_

_Given by: Brennend_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Implied Leon/Riku, Zack/Aerith, Post-Sephiroth/OC

* * *

_

Genesis smirked slightly as he pulled a few more pages out of the old scientist's journal. These along with an old apple from his hometown would set his plan into motion fully.

The icy blue-eyed man knew he child would never assist him in his plans willingly, and a few of the boy's friends would try to keep him safe at any cost, however, these issues could be mollified. He was a man who learned from the past, and he knew how to avoid repeated mistakes.

From his experience with Sephiroth, he learned that it was not wise to give the boy everything he wanted him to know at once. That plan had certainly backfired as the silvered angel became far too unstable. It would not due to have the boy lose control completely.

He knew the boy had been a victim of several forms of manipulation, some that the child was not even aware of, and so the child would pull away if he suspected he was being used and controlled again. This meant that he had to be careful never to allow the boy to see which direction he wanted him to go in, or better still, that he had a direction in mind at all.

The winged man knew that his former best friend was still alive and keeping watch. Nevertheless, the other winged man had grown weak and passive. He also had no attachment to the boy, and would therefore be less of a nuisance then he was when Genesis had sought to use his apprentice.

Angeal's protégé _was _attached to the boy, and would do everything in his power to prevent the child from coming to harm or losing himself as his father had. However, Zack also had a wife, and had started a new life on his old home world. As long as Genesis did not do anything terribly obvious he should manage to elude the former lieutenant long enough to leave the boy docile and confused.

The child's much older lover could also prove to be a problem. He was determined, strong, slightly possessive, and very protective. These traits could work in the claret-haired man's favour though. The scarred man's determination was split between his personal passions and his self-imposed duties to his world. He could be distracted easily enough and the child's affection for the man guaranteed his silence if he suspected the former mercenary would react too strongly to a situation he might not be able to handle.

The boy's father had grown unstable and unpredictable; however, Genesis could sense his presence as well as how strong he was against her at the moment. He just had to choose his moments carefully and the angel would not be able to interfere.

All he had to do was keep his guidance subtle, his trail spread out enough that the path it set could not be predetermined, his clues nonlinear, and his threats formidable, and he would rope the child in before anyone knew what he was after.


	210. Duck

_Prompt: Duck_

_Given by: Sassy Aloo_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Cid/Shera, Zack/Aerith; Implied Pre-Leon/Riku and Post-Sephiroth/OC__

* * *

_

Cid sighed and leaned back in his chair to light a cigarette, thinking that whoever designed that damn castle was either a genius or completely insane…or most likely, both. Not wanting to stare at the complex and dizzying blueprints for a while, he glanced around the room and paused with a slight frown when he saw Cloud staring at something across the room, eyes slightly glazed and definitely lust-filled.

The Gummi mechanic turned in his seat and followed the former SOLDIER's gaze to his own computer, where Riku was trying to unlock the digital records and schematics of the castle.

The silvered adolescent was completely focused on his task, cyan eyes moving slowly across the screen. As both Cloud and Cid watched, the teen lowered his head and turned his eyes aside, clearly thinking carefully about something. He delicately tucked some hair behind his ear and then looked at the computer again while gently biting his lip. Suddenly his eyes shifted, he released his lip before moistening it with the tip of his tongue, and then his fingers danced across the keyboard gracefully before the desired files opened. The slightest smirk graced the boy's lips as he began browsing through the newly accessed data.

Cloud released a rubbery sigh before abruptly standing and turning for the door. Cid tried to hide his smirk as Riku's fell and the boy turned his head to look at the man over his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." The spiky-haired man's voice was tight, almost angry. "I just need to release some steam. I'm going to help clear the rubble from that downed wall by the postern…"

Once the door had slammed behind the blonde man, Riku turned to look at Cid, who was watching him curiously. "He seemed fine earlier…happy even. I wonder what happened…"

The Gummi pilot looked at the boy in frustration. "Well, what was going on earlier when he seemed happy…? Which for Spiky is a fucking miracle, by the way…"

The silver-haired boy looked slightly lost. He clearly understood that he was expected to see the man's point, but it was just as clear that he was missing it. "We were helping Zack over by the waterworks…maybe he was just happy to have his old friend back and now, he's all bent because he's dwelling on the whole 'I failed him' thing. I had to deal with that with Sora after we got home…maybe I should try talking to him…"

Cid snorted. "Damn it, Jailbait…you really have no clue, do you? I swear, you're a sitting duck for all the fucking perverts we have around here. At least Spiky and Stone Cold know how to control themselves, but you really need to be more aware of how you affect others."

Riku immediately looked uncomfortable but resolved. The Gummi pilot sighed and put out his cigarette. "I'm not talking about the darkness or Jenova or any of that crap. I'm talking about what everyone but you sees when they look at you. Shiva kid, why do you think I keep calling you Jailbait? You turn on even the straight guys here. I'm a middle aged, happily married, heterosexual man and even I think you're beautiful. I would never act on that, of course, but you do realise that some will, right? You really have to try to be careful about the positions you allow yourself to get into here. Heartless, witches, and darkness aren't the only things you need to worry about."

The teenager had a steady blush by the time the blonde man had finished speaking, and was looking down at his feet with his long bangs hiding most of his face. "I just…don't really see that, I guess…"

Cid lit another cigarette and sat back in his chair. "This is why I never fucking had kids… Look, between what I've heard about your life before all this shit happened and from what I know about what happened to you during the past couple of years, I can get why you wouldn't see yourself for what you are. You also probably don't know all that much about this crap, since you were busy thinking about worlds, villains, darkness, and swordplay strategies when you should have been discovering all of this shit. It's still dangerous to assume that no one is interested in you like that all the time, just because you aren't thinking about that. ...And you really need to find a way to look like less of a fucking…what the hell do they call it…Ookie…Uké? You know what I'm taking about right?"

If the cyan-eyed boy had looked uncomfortable before, it was nothing compared to how he looked now. He sat his feet on the edge of his chair and wrapped his arms around his legs, still determinedly not looking at the man. "Yeah…I get it."

The door suddenly opened, and Zack came in chuckling. "Man, I don't know what has Spiky so worked up but…okay, what did I just interrupt? Riku…you alright?" The grin died from the man's lips as he looked between the silvered adolescent and the Gummi mechanic. His gaze finally fixed on the latter. "Did you say something to him?"

"Nothing like that… Don't get all bent out of shape." The blonde man waved off the former SOLDIER's mild glare. "I just realised that Jailbait never actually got the talk and since there's been some unhealthy interest in him around here, I though someone ought to talk to him before he gets picked up by some fucking paedophile and doesn't know what he's getting himself into."

"I'm not twelve you know," commented Riku, who looked like he wanted to be anywhere else at the moment. "It's not like I don't know anything about this stuff."

"You didn't know that Cloud was getting hot and bothered because of your little performance while figuring out that program a minute ago," stated Cid with a stern expression.

"What performance? I was figuring out a complex system. I didn't even know he was watching me," retorted the teenager.

"That's exactly my fucking point," replied the Gummi pilot.

Zack crossed his arms over his chest and wore a pensive expression. "Riku…did Hilargi ever talk to you about attraction, relationships, sex…any of that?"

"No," the adolescent sounded like he would rather be facing the darkness again than having this conversation.

The violet-eyed man nodded and continued without hesitation. "Did she ever figure out your preference?"

Riku lowered his head further. "No. I kept it a secret…that would have made life difficult on the islands. I didn't want to make things any harder for her."

"But that must have made things harder on you," commented the raven-haired man as he tried to catch the boy's eye. "You couldn't ask anyone about this sort of thing or experiment or anything like that. Do you even know what would be expected of you if you did get with, I don't know, say…Leon?"

"Leonhart...?" Cid looked at the former SOLDIER, who wore a small smirk. "I think Spiky would be more likely to actually make a move on the kid…even with the way Stone Cold looks at him."

Zack shook his head slightly, smirk still in place. "I didn't pick Leon as an example because of the way he looks at Riku; I picked Leon because of the way Riku looks at him."

The Gummi mechanic turned to look at Riku again, whose face was now buried in his thighs. "You have a crush on Stone Cold? Damn kid, you really are destined for misery aren't you? I guess it would actually be worse with Spiky though…"

"I think they'd be good for each other…he and Leon, I mean. They're alike enough to respect each other, but different enough to appreciate each other…they complement one another really well actually," commented Zack. Then he chuckled. "I never thought I would hear myself say that. Anyway, Riku, you know…he has much more experience then you do. Actually, do you have any experience in that area?"

"I've been a little preoccupied the past couple years, okay? And I was a little young before that…plus there were the issues you already mentioned." Riku murmured without uncurling himself from his position. "But that doesn't mean I don't know anything. I get the concept and I know what having a boyfriend would entail…I don't need it all spelled out for me."

"Fair enough," Zack said with a nod. "But I don't want you to panic the first time he does anything or not know what it's leading to. I've never been on the receiving end, but I imagine it would be a little uncomfortable if not downright painful to suddenly have something inserted-"

"Hey, don't go encouraging that shit yet," interrupted Cid with an expression torn between disgust and irritation. "If he's this uncomfortable just talking to us about this crap then he shouldn't be rushing into any of it yet. He hasn't even had a boyfriend yet and your talking about letting someone fuck him already."

"I'm not saying he should rush into anything, but it's bound to happen sooner or later," explained Zack with an insulted expression and stern tone. "He's a good looking, relatively normal, sixteen year old kid who already has interest in someone who shares that interest. How long do you expect it to be? Once Leon finally gets his ass in gear, I doubt-"

"Hey, I'm still in the room, you know." Riku interrupted, face flushed and sounding slightly exasperated. "I appreciate that both of you want to help me, but I've learned my lesson about looking before I leap, and I intend to apply that to every aspect of my life from now on. I doubt Squall has any serious interest in me, but even if he did, I expect him to understand that I am not at his level of expertise. And as much as I like him, if he can't be patient about that then he better move on, because I don't like being pushed into things I'm uncomfortable with. That said, I'm leaving…you guys are freaking me out."

After the flushed adolescent swept out of the room gracefully, both men turned to one another with a smirk.

"He needs to learn to draw the line a little sooner," commented Cid as he lit another cigarette. "But he just might be okay after all."

"Yeah, my baby's growing up," replied Zack with a smile. "Now what started all of this?"

The blonde man chuckled. "Well you know what you were saying about Spiky when you walked in…"


	211. Remote

_Prompt: Remote_

_Given by: Sassy Aloo_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Leon/Riku, Zack/Aerith, Cid/Shera

* * *

_

"What the hell are you two doing here so early?" Cid put out a cigarette as he continued setting up his Gummi garage as though it were not odd for Leon or Zack to be there before six in the morning.

Leon took a drink of his coffee. "We're waiting for Vincent. He's arriving with some project Reeve wants us to check out."

Zack smirked. "Spiky was actually supposed to be the welcoming committee but it would take an act of Ifrit to get his ass up this early."

All three men looked up as a loud thudding noise sounded from above them. "What is he arriving in?" questioned the former SOLDIER as he turned his attention back to the other two men.

"A Gummi ship, which is definitely not what caused that sound," replied Leon, still looking at the ceiling as he reached toward Revolver.

"Before either of you break out the arsenal, does Yuffie know that Vincent is due here today?" Cid crossed his arm and looked slightly amused.

Both of the other men glanced at one another. Leon opened his mouth but another voice called from above before he could say anything. "Don't you dare, Squall."

The scarred man smirked. "How do you know what I was going to do?"

The door opened and Riku entered quietly. "I just know you that well, I guess."

There was another thud before the door opened again and Yuffie bounded inside the garage. "You know, Cid, you really need to have your roof fixed. I never make that much noise on anyone of the other buildings' roofs."

Riku quirked an eyebrow as he turned to look at the hyperactive woman. "Why are you hanging out on anyone else's roof?"

"That's my business, thank you very much," commented the Ninja in what was clearly an attempt to sound mysterious. It came out sounding more mischievous than anything else though.

"Why the hell are you two on my roof at this hour anyway?" questioned Cid irritably.

"Waiting for Vincent;" Yuffie spoke as though it was obvious and Riku nodded his agreement.

"We've both been exchanging letters with him," the silvered adolescent added when the three men looked at him curiously. "Reeve thinks I might be the only one here who'll be able to work the controls of the remote for his crawler offhand. He also wants to see the schematics I wrote up for those cross world radios I made…he thinks he might be able to use those as a base for something easier to handle."

"You and Reeve working together…that's bound to get confusing for the rest of us." Cid shook his head and then smiled. "…Bound to have some kick-ass results too."

Leon smirked and stroked the teenager's side. "What's this crawler you mentioned?"

The cyan-eyed boy subtly shifted his weight toward the scarred man. "A new robot Reeve made. Vincent figured we could use something to check out large piles of rubble or old structures without risking any of our safeties."

"So Reeve just built a robot?" Zack shook his head with a fond smile. "We need to get those two over here more."

"They're doing very well in Traverse own, it's really cleaning up over there," commented Leon.

"Well they didn't have to clear out all the shit that we did and start over from square one either," stated Cid.

The sounds of an approaching Gummi ship caught everyone's attention then. Yuffie bounced on her heel, Leon slipped an arm around Riku's waist, and Zack and Cid crossed their arms and briefly commented on the Gummi as Vincent touched down.

The crimson-eyed man paused after he stepped out of the ship to look over his five friends. A small smile touched his lips. "I doubted Cloud would be able to awaken this early."

"You know Spiky," Zack grinned. "He's lucky we aren't rooming together anymore…and Aerith wouldn't let me go over there to get his ass up this early."

Riku shook his head. "He's almost as bad as Sora and Kairi."

Suddenly, Leon smirked and looked at his young lover. "Well aren't you supposed to be testing Reeve's robot?"

The silvered adolescent smirked back. "You know, you really need to let your mischievous side out more often."

"Definitely," agreed Zack with a chuckle.

Yuffie smiled and turned to Vincent as the three males left with the crawler. "Don't you just love our friends…? Hey, did you eat breakfast yet? Let's go to that place Zell said was good."

The raven-haired man nodded once and then stepped away from the ship he was standing before. "Let's hope it serves more than hot dogs."

Cid lit another cigarette and turned back to the Gummi he had been working on the previous day when the phone rang. "Hey Shera…yeah, he made it alright. Yep, don't be surprised if you hear Spiky shrieking soon. Let's just say we have strange friends… You know I wouldn't."


	212. S'mores

_Prompt: S'mores_

_Given by: Sassy Aloo_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Pre-KH_

_Pairing: Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi)_

_Author's note: I have updated my profile page and included a new 'section', which includes some facts about my KH universe, to answer some commonly asked questions, such as characters ages. Thank you.

* * *

_

Hilargi was sitting on the sofa with an array of texts and notes spread around her, clearly engrossed in her research, when Sephiroth arrived home early in the evening.

Suddenly, she placed a hand on her swollen stomach and glanced down. Then she looked at the doorway, saw Sephiroth watching, and shook her head with a smile. "How does he do that? I swear that if he could, he would tear his way out just to see you. As he grows, he just becomes more and more excited when you're near."

"A son is allowed to be happy to have his father near, and I told you he would be gifted." The silvered man smiled as he approached his wife. He leaned over and placed a soft kiss on her forehead as he laid a hand on her round belly. Sephiroth briefly felt Riku thrashing around as though he were truly trying to break free of his confines, before the movement settled, to be replaced by a gentle patting directly under his father's palm.

Hilargi shook her head again as she started gathering her notes. "It's going to be torture if I ever have to keep him away from you for a descent length of time."

"It would be torture to have him kept away for any period of time," replied Sephiroth as he absently stacked the books on the coffee table. "Let us hope we never have any need to be separated."

"Of course;" The claret-haired woman set aside her now neatly stacked notes and laid her hand over her husbands, intertwining their fingers over their unborn son's gentle pats. Then, icy blue eyes rose to meet sea green ones. "How did everything go with the new potentials today?"

"Most of them were a waste of time," commented the silver-haired man in a disinterested tone as his eyes drifted back to Hilargi's stomach, but then he smiled slightly and looked at her again. "Zachary got the position."

Hilargi smiled and gently slapped Sephiroth on the shoulder. "That's wonderful! You must be so pleased for him. We should have dinner with him sometime this week to celebrate."

Sephiroth smiled lightly as he stood to help his wife up when she clearly intended to stand. She smiled and nodded her thanks before rubbing her stomach and speaking again. "We should have our own celebration as well. Why don't you light the fire, and I'll get some wine, chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers from the kitchen… I have been craving s'mores all day…and I have not eaten those in years. I think Riku is going to be the outdoors type."

"Well you're eating habits have certainly geared that way." The silvered-man lit the fire with a quick spell. "What are some mores anyway?"

"Some more…oh, you mean s'mores. You don't know what s'mores are? I ate them every year as a child when…" Suddenly Hilargi paused and a surprisingly livid one replaced her usually impassive expression. "Oh that bastard better hope he never finds himself on my exam table-"

"Hilargi;" Sephiroth crossed the room to the claret-haired woman and placed one hand on her stomach while gently rubbing her back with the other. "I understand that this subject upsets you and that you are hormonal, but you shouldn't allow yourself to become so stressed right now. Besides, it would look rather suspicious if you accidentally gave Hojo some terrible disease instead of a flu shot and I cannot raise our son on my own."

Hilargi opened her mouth to retort, closed it, blinked once, and then smiled slightly. "Was that a joke?"

Sephiroth smiled as well, and felt Riku shifting around slightly as though reacting to his father's poor attempt at humour. "Yes, it was."

"Wow, you really don't want me to get worked up." The claret-haired woman sighed and then smiled; "Alright, no acting against Hojo."

Sephiroth nodded once. "Thank you. Now what are s'mores and why do they imply an outdoorsman?"

"They're treats made from a toasted marshmallow, sandwiched between two graham crackers with a piece of chocolate and they're very popular campout snacks, since you can all sit around the fire and talk while you toast the marshmallows." Hilargi stroked her stomach absently as she continued speaking. "When I was a little girl in Esthar, we used to go camping every spring. So far, most of the foods I've craved because of his little guy have been foods we used to pack along for those trips."

The silver-haired man nodded and wore a pensive expression as he too stroked Hilargi's stomach, immediately feeling Riku follow his hand. "We'll have to take him sometime…maybe annually as you did. Although I don't relish the idea of eating peanut butter and jelly tortilla rolls again…"

The blue-eyed woman chuckled lightly. "Well you know you don't have to eat whatever I do for dinner. There's no guarantee that these are foods Riku is going to like later on and even if they are, I'm sure he won't be upset…actually, never mind that."

Sephiroth still looked somewhat lost in thought, so Hilargi decided to try to lighten the atmosphere. "I can just imagine trying to show both of you how we used to fish at the lake. I'm sure you'll both be calculating all sorts of variables and telling me how it could be done more efficiently."

The silvered man smiled softly and gazed at his wife. "Assuming he eats fish…so far meat doesn't seem to be on his approved list."

Hilargi grimaced. "Oh don't remind me. I never want to be that ill again."

Sephiroth smiled and stroked her stomach again. "But it is all worth it…worth him."

The claret-haired woman smiled as well as she looked at her husband. "Yes, he is."

The silver-haired man kissed his wife soundly before gently stroking her cheek with the back of his fingers. "Stay here and get comfortable. I'll get everything for the s'mores and some drinks from the kitchen."

Hilargi smiled as she sat down and Sephiroth left the room. She rubbed her stomach again and hoped that Riku and Sephiroth would be able to do all the things the silvered man wanted them to experience together.

She ignored the clear suspicion that their son's childhood would be far less simple than her own had been.


	213. Drinking

_Prompt: Drinking_

_Given by: Doggeh_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Referenced Tifa/Rude, Zack/Aerith, Cid/Shera, Leon/Riku, Zell/Quistis, Sora/Penelo, Post-Vincent/Lucrecia, Post-Sephiroth/OC, & Implied Pre-Cloud/Reno-Reno/Cloud_

_Author's note: Anyone remember YAHOO?

* * *

_

Tifa glanced up from the glassware she was drying. The tavern was empty, except for Yuffie and Sora, who had come in just before closing time and asked if they use the corner booth to plan something. Since then, the two had been carrying on an animated but surprisingly hushed conversation. Both appeared to be straining their brains on something that they could not figure out.

The mahogany-eyed woman sighed after seeing Sora rub his temples for the third time, as though fighting off a headache, while Yuffie scrunched her face, clearly frustrated. She filled up two glasses with a light ale and one with some ginger ale and carried them over to the booth.

"Mind if I join you? I don't know about you guys, but I could use a break." Tifa sat down and passed each of the usually hyperactive brunettes a glass of ale.

Yuffie stared open-mouthed at her umber-haired friend. "You're letting Sora drink alcohol?"

Tifa smiled lightly. "Hey, if he can handle the stuff Reno and Zack have been letting him have, then he can handle this, and I intend to watch him to make sure he drinks responsibly."

Sora's eyes widened slightly. "How did you find out about that? They said they weren't going to tell anyone as long as I never made them regret it…and I'm always responsible about drinking…not that they'd let me over do it, but still…"

"Relax Sora." The mahogany-eyed woman giggled and took a sip of her non-alcoholic drink. "Rude has been present for at least three of the occasion they have let you drink with them. He told me about it, told me they were keeping an eye on you, that you were being good about it, and that they never gave you anything too strong. If we didn't trust each of you, one of us would have told them to put a stop to it already."

"Oh…" Sora looked thoughtful for a moment before smiling brightly. "Thanks, Tifa."

The umber-haired woman smiled and shrugged slightly. "So what has you two straining your brains over here?"

Yuffie and Sora glanced at one another, shrugged, and then returned their attention to Tifa. "We're setting up operation: Help Cloud Find Someone…but we can't figure out who that someone should be…" The petite ninja frowned as she admitted this and Sora pouted a little.

Tifa raised her eyebrows and held back a chuckle. "Operation: Help Cloud Find Somebody…? I take it you mean romantically… What brought this on?"

Yuffie began speaking immediately. It seemed like she had been waiting to get all of this out. "Well, you see, I was thinking the other day, Vincent has been down since Lucrecia passed, and Zack says that Sephiroth was great when he was with Riku's mom…and Zack and Aerith are always so happy together, so are you and Rude. Zell and Quistis are hitting it off great, they both seem even happier than before, and we all know that Cid and Shera love each other to death…even if they don't act all lovey-dovey…"

Sora jumped in at this point. "Riku has been _so _happy since he's gotten together with Leon…I know it's probably hard for you guys to tell, but Leon's made a _huge _difference with him. It's like he finally likes being alive again."

"And Leon hasn't been nearly as crabby or cold since he's been with Riku," added the hyperactive woman after taking a drink of her ale. "I even saw him laughing the other day…as in _really _laughing. I haven't seen him like that since we were kids."

Tifa smiled and nodded. "Okay, so you figured that Cloud would be happier and less mopey if he found someone. That actually makes sense…he does hate being alone, even if he won't admit that."

Yuffie hit Sora in the shoulder. "See, I told you!"

Sora rubbed his shoulder and then took a drink of his ale. "Okay…I believe you. I just think it's weird that someone who hates being alone always pushes people away. Riku tends to isolate himself, but he actually _wants _to be alone when he does that…not that I really get that either. Why wouldn't you want people around?"

"You're a people-person Sora, you'll never get it," Tifa interjected. "I can see where you would have a problem here…it is sort of hard to think of who would work with Cloud."

"Yeah," the hyperactive ninja nodded. "The obvious choices would be either you, Aerith, Zack, Riku, or Sora, but you're all taken already."

"Hey, since when am I on that list?" questioned the spiky-haired teen.

"Well, you get along with Cloud and you're both moody, but you're moody in a good way, which I was hoping would affect him," explained Yuffie casually. "Plus, he's usually whining about his darkness, and you've got a lot of light, so you'd balance each other."

"Okay, well since none of us are planning to break up with our current significant others anytime soon, lets move on," interrupted Tifa.

"What about that creepy lady…Lulu?" suggested Sora.

"She can barely tolerate Cloud for business matters," stated Yuffie. "There's no way she'd date him. What about that woman with the rabbit ears?"

"You mean Fran?" Tifa shook her head. "I really don't see them working…plus I'm not sure exactly what the nature of her relationship with Balthier is, and it wouldn't due to try to fix him up with someone who's already taken."

Sora looked pointedly at Yuffie. "See? I told you."

"Hey, he gets along really well with Aerith _and _Zack…I still say they could have worked out something once we got them all warmed up to the idea." Yuffie seemed unaffected by the incredulous looks the other two were directing at her.

Rude approached the table then. He eyed the three sitting at it before setting his attention on Tifa alone. "Are you alright?"

The mahogany-eyed woman shook her head at Yuffie and then smiled at him. "Yeah, we're just trying to figure something out."

She patted the booth beside her and Rude sat, quickly placing a kiss on her lips and gently placing a hand on her stomach, which was just beginning to show signs of their baby. "What would that be?"

"Who to fix Cloud up with." Tifa suddenly frowned. "While we're at it, we should try to think of someone for Reno…he needs to settle down too."

The bald man shrugged slightly, "Why not fix them up with each other then?"

Three pairs of wide eyes fell on the bald man.

"That's perfect," said Sora happily. "Thanks Rude…Yuffie and I have been trying to come up with someone for months."

"Uh, Sora...?" The hyperactive ninja looked at the teen in disbelief. "That won't work."

Sora frowned, "Why not?"

"Because Reno's straight," replied Yuffie.

The blue-eyed boy furrowed his eyebrows. "He hits on Riku all the time."

The petite woman rolled her eyes; "Well yeah, but Leon's also straight and he's dating Riku, so I guess Riku just doesn't count."

"Riku does too count," demanded Sora.

"I'm sorry Sora, but I think I have to agree with Yuffie on this one," stated Tifa.

"What?" The spiky-haired teen pointed at Rude. "But he's Reno's best friend and _he _suggested it. He has to have some reason for that."

"Actually, that is true;" Tifa turned to her boyfriend. "Why did you suggest that? Is Reno bi?"

"I suggested it because I think they will work as far as your intentions go… I don't know about long term." Rude leaned back slightly and snaked an arm around Tifa's shoulders. "Reno claims to be straight…as does Leon. But as a straight man, I can tell you that I would never actually be with another male…even one as beautiful as Riku."

Sora looked thoughtful. "Zack told me something about it being harder if you figure out your preference later in life that time he thought I was just realising I was bi. Maybe Reno and Leon just don't want to admit they're bi and it's easy to write it off as just being Riku, since no one can really deny that he's gorgeous…except for him himself of course."

"You know, you actually have a point there," said Tifa. "Leon's always been picky, or careful is probably a better word, about who he goes out with. Maybe Riku's just the first guy to meet his standards because he never openly considered any guys before he realised he was falling for the kid…"

"And as Sora pointed out, it would be easier to admit to it with someone so androgynous," commented Rude. "But he had to have been open to the idea of being with a male before to actually go for it…the same stands for Reno."

"You know, they would really work for each other too," stated the mahogany-eyed woman thoughtfully. "They might disagree on a lot of points, but Cloud actually Respects Reno for how straight forward he always is…and Reno's blunt enough that Cloud would have to acknowledge him, but not have to explain more than he's comfortable with, since Reno likes direct answers too."

"Okay, so how are we going to work this?" questioned Yuffie.

"Well, from what I've heard, when these things work, they come out of nowhere and hit you hard," commented Sora. "With Penelo and me, it was like a switch was turned on somewhere and we suddenly were more than friends. My mom always said my dad just hit her like a thunderbolt…and Riku said falling for Leon was like watching a violet storm coming and knowing there was no way you were going to not get caught in it. So we just need to get them to agree to go out a few times and they should take it from there if it's actually going to work."

"Between the three of us, I'm sure we can talk Cloud into it," stated Tifa confidently. She turned to Rude with a sweet smile. "Honey…?"

The bald man grinned slightly and patted her hand with his own. "I'm sure Reno can be persuaded."

The four continued working out the details of their plan over drinks for the next couple of hours. None of their friends could guess what they had been up to, but after one look at Sora's face, Riku declared that they probably did not want to know.

Operation: Set Cloud and Reno Up went into effect the following day.


	214. Cosplay

_Prompt: Cosplay_

_Given by: Doggeh_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post KHII_

_Pairings: Leon/Riku, Zack/Aerith, Tifa/Rude; Implied Post Sephiroth/OC

* * *

_

Zack and Leon were in Merlin's old house, looking over some maps to outline a few patrol routes when they heard Yuffie skip in behind them. "Hey, have either of you seen Cloud?"

"No, he disappeared a couple of hours ago," the ex-SOLDIER glanced back at the petite ninja and had to do a double take. "What the…?"

The hyperactive woman was dressed quite differently than she normally did…but the outfit still looked decidedly familiar to the violet-eyed man. She was wearing knee-high cowboy boots, a brown mini skirt with a matching fringed vest, a very revealing and heavily padded button-down blouse, and a brown cowboy hat.

Leon noticed Zack's confused expression and looked over as well. He simply quirked an eyebrow; "Do I want to know why you're dressed like a stripper?"

"She's not a stripper, she's Tifa," commented Zack. "That's almost exactly like the outfit Tifa was wearing when she guided Seph and me…wait, does this have something to do with that cosplay thing Sora came here for?"

"Yep, the costume was Sora's idea. He saw the photo of you guys in Rude and Tifa's house." Yuffie turned in a full circle. "What do you think?"

Despite her shorter stature, lack of curves, round face, and hair length and colour, it was quite clear that she was intended to look like Tifa, back when Zack had first met the mahogany-eyed woman.

"I'd say it's pretty clear who you're supposed to be…but then, I saw Tifa like that." The violet-eyed man drew his brows slightly. "Aren't you supposed to be dressed as a character people can recognise from mangas or video games or something?"

"You guys are like this world's heroes…I think people will know who you are;" Sora stated as he entered the room. Zack grinned and Leon quirked an eyebrow.

The blue-eyed teen had used some temporary dye to make his hair black, and had forgone his usual spikes for a style that was very close to Zack's hair. He was wearing Cloud's old SOLDIER uniform, and had even drawn in the crossed scars Zack had over his left jaw line.

The teenager raised his arms and turned in a circle as Yuffie had. His face was also rounder than the person he was impersonating, his hair was a little too short and choppy, his bright eyes were clearly the wrong colour, and he did not have Zack's height or abundance of muscles, but it was certainly a passable impression.

"Well, I think everyone will know who you are," commented Leon with a smirk.

"Of course, everyone knows me." Zack waved off the other man's suggestion. "And might I add, I'm even good looking in cosplay form. Nice job Sora."

Leon rolled his eyes, but his retort died on his tongue as his young lover entered the room.

"Cloud and Reno are still at Aerith and Zack's place guys…you can call off the search. They aren't backing out." Both Leon and Zack stared at the cyan-eyed boy with open mouths.

The silvered adolescent had his hair parted down the middle, including his bangs, which framed his face instead of hiding it as they usually did. He had altered his Organization coat to include the straps present on Sephiroth's, and wore black leather pants, black gloves, and black knee-high boots.

Riku seemed less comfortable in parading around than the other two were, but he was clearly watching the two men's reactions. His hair was shorter and sported many more layers than Sephiroth's, his face was much softer, his abnormally expressive eyes were clearly different from his father's feline-like ones, he wore his coat zipped up far more than the silvered man had ever worn his, and like Sora, he was not as broad or tall as the man he was impersonating. The resemblance was still unmistakable.

Zack closed his mouth and shook his head slowly. "Ifrit…how did no one guess that you were his son before you told Leon?"

Riku shrugged slightly and his exposed eyes showed just how nervous he was despite his impassive expression. "Squall…?"

The ex-SOLDIER followed the boy's gaze to Leon, who was staring at the teen as though captivated.

"You really should show your face more," the scarred man stated. Then he furrowed his brows. "Why is your clavicle bruised? It wasn't this morning."

The teen felt the injured spot as though he had not realised it was bruised. "I stopped to help Dr. Sid on the way here, since his grocery bags had torn, and he stated throwing soup cans at me and yelling something about remnants…he has a surprisingly good aim."

The Gunblade wielder grabbed a healing salve off a shelf as he walked over to the boy, and then he applied some to the injured area. "Why didn't you heal it?"

"It's not like it's broken or-" Riku stop speaking as the sounds of shouting and thudding sounded from the complex outside. "Sounds like Dr. Sid found another target…"

The five friends walked outside quickly and soon spotted Aerith at the end of the complex, with a hand over her mouth, clearly trying not to laugh. They silently approached her and followed her line of sight.

Dr. Sid was shouting something about the Organization and throwing various canned foods at Cloud and Reno, who were blocking the offending objects with their arms and shouting back at the crazed man.

Cloud had used liberal amounts of gel to get his spikes to all stick out in the same direction and Reno had taken his hair out of his usual ponytail. Both men were wearing Organization XIII coats.

"You got them to go along _and _dress as Roxas and Axel?" Leon looked at the other three cosplayers, who nodded and smiled.

Zack laughed. "How in the world did you talk them into it?"

"Reno wasn't that hard actually," commented Yuffie. "We just bribed him. Cloud was a royal pain in the ass as always."

"Tifa and Yuffie managed to convince him to come, but we had to get Riku in on it to get him to agree to the costumes," added Sora.

Zack, Leon, and Aerith all turned to the cyan-eyed boy. "How did you of all people convince him?" questioned the former SOLDIER.

"Oh, I blackmailed him," replied the teenager easily. Leon arched an eyebrow, Aerith grinned, and Zack smirked. "I only did it because Sora blackmailed me…twice." The silvered adolescent narrowed his eyes at his best friend, in a glare that would have done his father proud.

Leon had snaked an arm around the boy's waist. He glanced at the boy with a puzzled expression, "Twice?"

The Silvered youth sighed, "Once for the costume and once to blackmail Cloud."

Aerith turned to Sora. "…And why did you blackmail your best friend?"

Sora rolled his eyes as though the answer were obvious. "Because I knew he had something on Cloud from the time he spent away from everyone here…and the costume wasn't a big blackmail…it was sort of a fair trade."

"I don't think that's what she meant sport," commented Zack as he draped an arm over Aerith's shoulders.

"What…_oh_," the blue-eyed teen rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, we sort of have a plan…and I promise it's for a good cause."

The violet-eyed man smiled. "Ah, now I _really _feel like I have my own little mini-me."

Riku meanwhile, turned to his best friend; glare replaced by confusion and a bit of hurt. "Well why didn't you just tell me what the plan was instead of blackmailing me?"

"Oh; because…uh, because…" Sora tapped his chin and then turned to Yuffie. "Why didn't we just let Riku in on the operation? He's a lot better about being discreet than we are."

Yuffie looked thoughtful for a moment before turning to Sora with a shrug; "No idea."

Riku rolled his eyes and Sora chuckled weakly. "Okay, I'll tell you later, but you can't tell Leon or Zack."

"Hey, why not...?" Zack looked between Sora and Yuffie. "I like causing mischief just as much as you do…especially when Spiky's the victim. ...And I have way more dirt on him then Riku does. Speaking of that…Ku, you know I'm going to be asking what you have on him later, right?"

Riku glanced up from where he had leaned his head against Leon. "I figured as much."

Reno and Cloud approached the group then. "Alright, let's get the fuck out of here before that senile old bastard finds something else to throw at us, yo."

Riku glanced at his boyfriend. "Are you sure you don't want to come?"

"Yeah, it'll be fun," coaxed Sora.

"We don't even have costumes," stated Zack.

Aerith grinned. "I made some extra Organization coats that should fit you two."

The ex-SOLDIER grinned back. "Why am I not surprised?"

The green-eyed woman shrugged. "You aren't the only sneaky one in this relationship."

Zack started leading Aerith back toward their house, with the others following. "I knew I married the right woman."


	215. Dance x

_Prompt: Dance_

_Given by: Spazmantastic_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Leon/Riku, Zack/Aerith, Pre-Cloud/Reno, Post-Leon/Rinoa, Post-Vincent/Lucrecia

* * *

_

Leon and Yuffie were walking down an empty street on a shared patrol late in the night. The Gunblade wielder had been surprised by how uncharacteristically quiet and pensive the hyperactive ninja had been throughout the evening.

Two evenings prior, the petite woman had been patrolling out by the old castle with Riku when a swarm of Heartless had viciously attacked the two. They had handled it perfectly fine on their own and they had both seemed unaffected by the onslaught when they reported it. The scarred man was beginning to wonder if the incident had actually left an impact on his friend. It did not seem right for her to be so quiet.

Steel blue eyes glanced over. Yuffie was clearly thinking about something serious. "Are you worried because of your last patrol?"

The petite ninja blinked and turned her head to look at Leon, whose eyes were facing forward again. "No. We may not be Keybearers, but I think we can handle a few hundred Heartless between us. It's just…I was thinking about something else that happened during all of that…"

The sable-haired man frowned slightly. "What happened?"

Yuffie bit her lip and took a quick glance at the scarred man before avoiding eye contact. The steel-eyed man took that as a bad sign. "Well…you know how I said Riku did most of the work, right? See, he was all over the place with his Keyblade and making light crash down from the sky, casting shields, throwing Dark Auras, and that weird white flash thing he does… But there's one spell he cast that only seemed to effect him…I think it was a magic booster or something, with all the magic he was using…anyway, when he cast it, er, well…he got these angel wings for a minute…"

Leon's first thought when the hyperactive woman started babbling was that she had not been exaggerating that night when she claimed thousands of heartless had attacked them. That thought was soon pushed to the back of his mind by the woman's newest statement. "He grew wings?"

"No…it _wasn't _like Sephiroth." Yuffie shook her head adamantly as she corrected the steel-eyed man. "It was just part of the spell, you know? Like the flowers that appear over our heads when Aerith heals us. Cloud sort of freaked when I mentioned the wings, but Zell said he'd seen one other person use a spell that had the effects this one seemed to…back during those few years you guys were in that mercenary group."

"SeeD," Leon said with a nod. "Yes…a girl named Rinoa knew a spell like that…and it was for a magic boost."

"Okay, so I _was _right," Yuffie smiled and appeared as though a burden had been lifted from her. "It had nothing to do with Jenova…it's just a spell anyone can learn."

"If they're powerful enough and have the concentration for it, yes;" the Gunblade wielder conceded with a nod. He also felt relieved.

"Rinoa…" The petite ninja tilted her head as if trying to recall something. "Isn't that the girl you dated for a couple of years?"

The former SeeD simply nodded and continued walking, his eyes flicking around the surrounding area in search of possible threats.

"Er…Leon?" Yuffie asked with a nervous edge that usually meant a random question was to follow, but the named man could tell this was actually something serious to her. "Can I ask you something?"

Despite his initial gut reaction, Leon nodded again.

The hyperactive woman was quick to act on his unexpected reaction; "What happened…with Rinoa?"

The scarred man thought for a moment, it was hard to give a simple answer to that question. "We were just too different…we had different goals, different views-"

"Wait;" Yuffie suddenly stopped walking. "You mean she didn't die or lose her heart or end up on a different world or anything? You guys just split up? Why does everyone avoid talking about her?"

The steel-eyed man could not help but smirk slightly. "You haven't asked me about her before because you thought something terrible had happened to her?"

"Well yeah," replied the ninja woman as she started walking again, her usual energy returning. "I've heard about how long it took for you to agree to give her a shot from Quistis, Zell, and Irvine…but they never said how it ended, so I just thought…well it made sense at the time!"

Leon was trying hard not to chuckle at the indignant woman. "Not everything has to be in epic scale with us Yuffie…we can have _some _normal experiences. What happened was, that once the dust settled and villains, missions, misdirected emotions, and hormones no longer distracted us, we just didn't fit together. She lives on this world…just not this continent. Ellone and Irvine still see her from time to time."

Yuffie suddenly looked pensive again. "You _just didn't fit_? Like, there wasn't big fight or betrayal or anything?"

"No…well, we fought a lot near the end…mainly she would complain and I would leave, but it wasn't anything like you're thinking." The Gunblade wielder shrugged. "Sometimes these things just don't work out as we thought they would."

"Do you ever worry that it won't work out with Riku?" questioned the hyperactive ninja, looking worried. "That it'll end up like it did with her?"

"No." Leon shook his head and spoke with a strong sense of certainty. "It's different with Riku…I _feel _different. Besides, Riku and I are a lot more alike than she and I are. He doesn't want or expect me to become someone else; he sees me for what I am, and that's all he wants. The same goes for me."

"See…? I told you that you guys were meant for each other _months _before you got together, but would you listen? _No_…it was all 'he's just a child' and 'I'm not bi', but it turns out, he fits _perfect _with you." Yuffie sounded both pleased and relieved as she began to walk with a familiar bounce to her step. "Seriously though, you think Riku's really the one?"

The Ninja actually bounced and squealed when Leon nodded. "That's great! He said the same thing, and it would have been _awful _if you didn't feel the same way. It would have _totally _crushed him. I think you two are going to be together forever."

"Thanks for the support," Leon said with a roll of his eyes, but he was actually pleased. "Wait…you asked Riku this too?"

"Uh-huh," Yuffie nodded and started skipping. "Well, obviously I didn't ask about his ex, since he doesn't have one, but I asked him about you being the real deal, and he said he loves you and wants to spend the rest of his existence with you and that he couldn't imagine life without you anymore. Isn't that cute?"

The Gunblade wielder smiled softly. "Yeah…it is."

"Hey, Leon...?" The quizzical tone had returned to the petite woman's voice. "Do you ever wish that you had never been with Rinoa or anyone else? That you had just waited until Riku came along and saved yourself the trouble?"

"No," Steel blue eyes rolled again at the ninja's perplexed expression. "It might not have worked out and it might have been painful for awhile, but I also learned a lot about what I want and don't want by being with my past girlfriends. Those relationships helped to form who I am today just as much as you guys and the Heartless did. If it had never happened, I might not have become the person Riku fell in love with."

"Yeah…that makes sense." Yuffie eyed Leon over critically. "You know, Riku really has been good for you. You've lightened up a lot since you've been with him. It's sort of like Leon and Squall are merging instead of Leon beating down Squall all of the time."

The Gunblade wielder blinked and glanced at the woman walking beside him. "That has to be one of the most astute things I have ever heard you say…where did it come from?"

"Quistis…she said that when Zell commented that it was sort of like you were becoming your old self again, only better than before," replied Yuffie without missing a beat. "So you don't regret _any _of it anymore?"

Leon shook his head slightly in agitation as he turned forward and continued walking. "Of course I have regrets, everyone does. But I keep telling Riku how he was too young and naïve to be held responsible for everything that happened with Sora, Maleficent, and the islands…and he finally threw my own theories back at me."

"You should have expected as much," commented the hyperactive ninja. "Riku doesn't usually miss that kind of thing."

"No, he doesn't," Leon agreed.

Yuffie looked the scarred man over again. "So…you're happy with where you are now? ...For the most part?"

"Yes," The sable-haired man rolled his eyes for the third time that evening. He was beginning to wish the eerily quiet Yuffie from earlier was back. "I wish that I could have done more when this world was taken, and that I could do more to help those around me, but as far as the more personal aspects of my life go, I don't regret agreeing to that dance with Rinoa and I will never regret being with Riku either."

The hyperactive woman smiled to herself for a moment before randomly asking another question. "Do you think Cloud and Reno might be as good together as you and Riku or Zack and Aerith?"

"No."

"Aw, why not...?" Yuffie whined, clearly disappointed in his response.

"Because they don't have the connection that we do," replied Leon, somewhat irritably. "Aerith and Zack said they felt a connection from the day they met. I don't believe in love at first sight, but as soon as I met Riku, I felt a connection too. I knew he was going to be a part of my life from that point on…I just didn't know what role he was going to take. Neither Cloud nor Reno has showed any sign of such a connection between them. It doesn't mean they can't do each other any good or enjoy their time together…it just means they aren't in love."

The ninja woman seemed to think this over before accepting the scarred man's logic. "You know, Zack said he loved Aerith from the day he met her and Aerith said they're soul mates…Vincent talks about Lucrecia the way you talk about Riku, too."

The Gunblade wielder pinched the bridge of his nose in an attempt to fight an oncoming headache. "Do you have a point with any of that?"

"That you and Riku are soul mates, which is why it's different with him, and that's what you felt when you met him." Yuffie rolled her eyes before suddenly smiling broadly at the scarred man. "Does that mean I can call you Squall again?"

The former SeeD released a heavy sigh. "If it will end this conversation, then fine."

Leon enjoyed the rest of the patrol in blissful silence before going home to Riku with an even stronger appreciation of the boy.


	216. Convention

_Prompt: Convention_

_Given by: Doggeh_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Leon/Riku, Zack/Aerith, Tifa/Rude, Sora/Penelo, and pre-Cloud/Reno-Reno/Cloud, Post-Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi)

* * *

_

Cloud leaned against a wall, his arms crossed and expression stony as he watched some of his friends. Yuffie and Sora were talking animatedly over which of two mangas he should purchase for his girlfriend back home. Zack muttered something to Leon, who had an arm around Riku's waist, and all three smirked and chuckled lightly.

It was still odd to see the three youngest of their group dressed as three of the eldest. Riku looked frighteningly like Sephiroth, Sora matched Zack's movements and air surprisingly well, and Yuffie was a passable impression of Tifa.

The blonde man rolled his shoulders before stretching his arms a bit and then returning to his previous position. Aerith had tried to make the duplicated Organization XIII coats a bit more flexible, but Cloud simply was not used to sleeves and thick materials. The gel Sora used on his hair (which had smelled suspiciously like paste) had grown stiff and was beginning to irritate him.

"You okay holding up that wall all by yourself, yo?" A shift of eyes was all the greeting Cloud offered Reno as he approached. The redhead's hair blew slightly in the breeze, and was clearly longer than Axel's had been, but the former SOLDIER guessed that only a handful of people living had actually seen the fiery Nobody.

The Turk leaned against the wall beside the spiky-haired man, seemingly unaffected by the long and heavy coat. "I bet you feel like a real moron now, huh?"

Mako blue eyes blinked. "What?"

"Well, how long did it take you to figure out that Silver was Sephiroth's spawn?" Icy blue eyes trailed over Riku as the boy walked a few paces away from his boyfriend and godfather to join Sora and Yuffie.

Cloud also watched the cyan-eyed boy. "I'm the first person he told after Leon…I wish I had taken it better. It would have been easier on all three of us. Why…when did you figure it out?"

"Since the time Sora stumbled around while he was trying to explain to Yuffie and the others that Riku is lactose intolerant, like the rest of the Mako freaks," commented Reno with a smirk.

The blonde man turned his head to look at the Turk fully. "And you didn't say anything for all this time?"

"Of course not, yo. Then I wouldn't have anything over the kid." Cloud rolled his eyes and something shifted in Reno's, "Besides…Silver doesn't want to be seen as a freak…or more of one. After the glares you were shooting the kid for a while there, I don't blame him. I'm actually surprised Stone Cold didn't kick your ass, yo. He's got it bad for the little hybrid."

"Yeah…he does." The former SOLDIER frowned when Yuffie glanced towards him and suddenly burst into a giggling fit.

Reno snorted at the other man's confused expression. "She and Mini-Spiky mistook that tender little expression you just got for their plan in action being successful."

The blonde man turned to look at the Turk again. "What plan in action?"

The redhead rolled his eyes, "Talk about blank. We're being made, yo. Why do you think the dynamic duo went through so much effort to get us to come here? Mini-Spiky even blackmailed Silver to get him to blackmail you and you don't even want to know what that crazy ninja offered to get me to come. They knew we'd end up in a corner together, looking like a matched pair."

"What do you mean 'made?" Mako blue eyes searched icy blue in confusion before widening slightly in realisation. "Wait, you mean Yuffie and Sora are playing matchmaker…with _us_? Why the hell would they want to do that?"

"Because they're young and naïve, yo;" Reno flicked his eyes over the where Riku had now rejoined Leon and Zack. The former immediately shifted closer to the boy and brushed his bangs aside as he started speaking to him. "After all the Heartless crap, Yuffie thought Squall was gone for good and Sora probably thought he'd never see his best friend all happy and pure again. Then, Stone Cold and Silver fell for each other like a ton of bricks and sure enough, look at them."

"So…Yuffie and Sora think love is the answer to all of life's problems just because of one, or two really, extreme examples?" Cloud shook his head.

"It's more than one example, but yeah." Reno shrugged at the other man's questioning glance. "I don't get it either, but it seems to be what everyone wants...That whole, love-family-forever thing. Rude finally got Tifa to agree to give him a shot, and within a handful of months, he's helping in the bar, playing daddy for that orphan she took in, and talking about marrying her and having another one and being there from the beginning this time. I thought it was nuts, but he took to it like a fish to water and he's never been happier. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad he's happy but that just doesn't do it for me."

The blue-eyed man nodded his understanding, "Yeah. Zack's talked about wanting to be with Aerith forever since they met. The look on his face when he told me he was saving up to buy an engagement ring could have challenged the sun in its brightness. I've never seen them as happy as they were on their wedding day, and I've seen them through a lot of happy moments. I don't know…it's just too much for me, you know? Sometimes I wonder if that's bad. I mean, isn't that what everyone is supposed to want?"

Reno snorted. "Hell if I care. When have I ever adhered to convention, yo? Come to think of it, when have you? Seriously, you were what, a half a foot shorter than everyone in SOLDIER was, with no expertise, less muscle, and more baby fat than any of them had, yet you still worked your ass off to join. When they told you that you weren't good enough, you joined the opposing team to save the world from their mistakes anyway. Sorry, my bad…that's definitely garden variety shrimp behaviour."

Cloud shot the Turk a slight glare, but it did not hold his usual anger, and the corner of his mouth twitched as though threatening to grin. "I'm not a shrimp...those guys are just huge."

"Well it's hard to tell with those spikes, but you're what, 5'7"?" questioned the redhead as he gave the other man a once over.

"Yeah, and you're what, a whole inch taller than me?" retorted Cloud with a small smirk; "_Maybe _an inch and a half?"

Reno shrugged and smirked as well. "Yeah, but that still puts me on the low side of average, while you my friend, are _short_."

"That puts _me _on the low side of average and you _in_ the average range," corrected the former SOLDIER.

"Whatever, it still makes me taller, yo." The Turk sighed. "What was the original point of this conversation again? Oh yeah, neither of us are conventional…and you're dense as well as short."

The spiky-haired man rolled his eyes and then narrowed them slightly in thought. "Actually I think it had something to do with the dynamic duo trying to hook us up and how true love and the whole, how did you put it, love-family-forever thing isn't for everybody."

The redhead nodded slowly. "Yeah, and since we don't stick to convention, we fall into that latter category…so same difference, yo."

"I guess." Cloud shrugged and looked back at the others. He noticed that Zack was watching them curiously as Yuffie and Sora babbled something at him. Riku seemed to be explaining a book he was holding to Leon, who was probably smiling more over the teen's own soft smile than the story itself.

"Five Munny says they're trying to covert him to help in the operation," commented Reno as he too glanced over at their friends, particularly Zack, Sora, and Yuffie.

"Ten says he accepts," replied the spiky-haired man with a slight smirk. Then he turned to the Turk. "So you're really not interested in any of that true love stuff?"

The former SOLDIER was surprised when the redhead seemed to give this a moment of serious thought before answering. "I guess it would be nice to have someone for more than just a fling or a quick lay, yo. You know…the whole last call of the day bit. But like I said, I'm not interested in the whole love-family-forever thing. It's hard to find someone who doesn't just want one extreme or the other, so I settle for the flings more often than not. At least I'm not breaking anyone's heart that way."

Cloud nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean. I don't want someone who's going to need or expect me to be there all the time…who's going to be hurt when I take off for a while with no notice. I'm not good with people who depend on me...But I don't just want to use someone or be used. I want to know where I stand, but not have it in cement."

"Exactly;" The Turk suddenly looked Cloud over and then chuckled. "Maybe the dynamic duo aren't as stupid as they look, yo."

"Yeah, who would have thought they actually know what they're doing," agreed the blonde man with a nod. "Of course, I can't say why, but I suspect Tifa has something to do with all of this too."

"And now they've gotten Zack on their side, you're screwed Spiky." Reno added as he watched Zack smirk and say something to Yuffie and Sora, which seemed to shock them. The redhead suddenly smirked and looked at the man beside him with an oddly calculating expression. "Why don't we have a little fun with this, yo? You've already learned that Silver knows more about your dastardly deeds than you thought, and I got something big on Stone Cold out of it…let's see if we can't turn this around on them."

Cloud wore a small smirk as he glanced at the redhead. "I do love getting one over on Zack…"

Reno nodded. "This could be the beginning of a twisted and beautiful relationship, yo."


	217. Lucky

_Prompt: Lucky_

_Given by: Spazmantastic_

_Setting: Radiant Garden: Post-KHII_

_Pairings; Implied Sora/Penelo, Leon/Riku, Zack/Aerith

* * *

_

Sora practically strutted into Leon's sitting room and took a seat in one of the armchairs near the fireplace with his hands laced behind his neck and one leg crossed over the other.

Leon arched an eyebrow, Zack shook his head and chuckled quietly, and Aerith was clearly trying not to giggle.

"I take it the mission went well?" asked the former SOLDIER with a smirk.

"Of course," said the spiky-haired teenager with an easy grin. "We do know we're doing, you know. No one stands a chance against me and Riku together."

"Where is Riku?" questioned Leon as his eyes flicked to the door. He was clearly considering leaving to find his young lover.

Sora's grin bloomed into a smile; "Don't worry…he's fine. Well, he's being really quiet, but that's pretty normal for him. He just got tied up with Cid."

Aerith chuckled. "Cid's going to be as bad as you two soon. Poor Riku…"

"Hey," Zack responded in a mock-indignant tone, although he could not hide his grin. "I'm a responsible godfather and Squall has every right to worry about this girlfriend."

"It's Leon and that's _boy_friend," corrected the scarred man quickly but without any anger. His eyes continued to flick to the door from time to time.

"You aren't going to molest my godson as soon as he gets in here are you?"

"Of course not," replied the steel-eyed man with a roll of his eyes. "You know we don't do that sort of thing in front of people."

"See?" Zack indicated Leon to Aerith, who smiled passively as she looked at her husband. "This is why he's fun to torment. He throws it back at me better than anyone else does. Cloud's finally starting to strike back again, but it'll be months or years before he's back at this level."

"What about Cid?" asked Sora curiously.

"He's fun to an extent, but then he just gets mean," replied the raven-haired man. Leon and Aerith nodded their agreement. "Riku and him have struck some odd little bond where they can throw insults back and forth without actually hurting the other's feelings though."

Just then, Riku entered the house. However, he paid no mind to the adults in the room as he determinedly walked up to Sora, grabbed the other adolescent by the collar, heaved him out of his chair, and turned him to face him before speaking in a low and tight voice as he repositioned his hands on his hips. "What was that?"

"Oh, come on Riku…it wasn't _that _bad." Sora chuckled nervously as he adjusted his collar and took a quick glance at the three people on the sofa.

All three adults were staring with open mouths. Riku either did not notice, or did not care, for he continued in the same soft but surprisingly stern tone. "_It wasn't that bad_? Is that supposed to be my standard for these missions?"

Sora nervously met his friend's eyes and smiled weakly. "Hey, I was right. It worked, didn't it? We won."

Turquoise eyes narrowed slightly. "You were _lucky_. I saw your face…you were shocked and awed, which means you didn't know I could take out eighty percent of those Heartless so quickly. If I couldn't, we'd have been surrounded, grossly outnumbered, and in serious trouble…"

The cerulean-eyed boy toed the carpet with an oversized sneaker and suddenly all of the bulk he had gained on his slightly older friend seemed to amount to nothing as the silvered teen continued with his lecture. "By the way, that wasn't a game or a contest…it was a battle. You do not _win _a battle…you survive or you succeed. And if you play your cards right, you do both."

Riku lowered his arms; the thumb of his left hand hooked into his jeans' pocket while he gestured slightly with his right hand. "Yes, we have to take risks…a lot more often than we should actually, but there is a difference between a calculated risk and a foolish one. We need to think before we act and look before we leap, okay…? The worlds needs us and we have a responsibility to them…that means we have to stay alive long enough to fulfil our duties."

"Well obviously, those Heartless weren't any match for you," interrupted Sora with an impressed expression. "Even if I do get hurt doing something stupid, you'll be able to take care of things."

"You think I want that?" demanded the silver-haired adolescent with a shocked and hurt expression. He lowered his head, but his voice never wavered. "I guess I don't have the right to think it should matter how your death would affect _me_…but what about Kairi? Penelo…? Donald and Goofy…? Your parents…? It would crush them to lose you. Not to mention all of the other friends you have across the universe… How can you not care about how your actions affect others…especially those who care about you?"

Sora rubbed the back of his neck again and wore a guilt-ridden expression. "Riku…I- Of course I care about how my actions affect all of my friends…_especially _you. I would never want to leave you alone with all of this. I'm sorry, I just…didn't think things through, I guess. I know I need to start thinking when it comes to this stuff…okay? I know I get by mainly on luck and my friends' support. Shit, I could have gotten you killed out there too. I never-"

"I know," the turquoise-eyed boy interrupted softly. He still did not raise his head. "I'm sorry I went off on you, but you better never do anything like that again. Just promise me that much…please…"

"I promise…and Riku, I really am sorry." The silver-haired boy nodded to assure his friend that he was forgiven, and the russet-haired teen brightened in relief. "Hey, I told Yuffie I'd fill her in as soon as we got back. Do you wanna come too?"

"No, I want to talk to them…" Riku indicated the three amused looking adults in the room for the first time. "You go ahead though. I'll see you later…?"

"Of course," Sora smiled broadly. He waved at everyone in the room as he left the house. "Bye guys; I'll be back later!"

The cyan-eyed boy took a deep breath and then turned to the other three. Aerith smiled at him; "Well he won't do anything that stupid again for a while…"

Zack grinned and turned to Leon, who looked shocked and impressed. "Everyone always worries about protecting Aerith, and we all know I'd die to defend her, but I never want to piss her off because she always knows exactly which approach to take to emasculate me within five minutes. Watch out…with proper training, Riku could be just as bad once he learns to express himself more often."

"Hey, I meant every word I just said," defended the silvered adolescent as he gave the violet-eyed man a quick hug.

"You still managed to lecture him, tear apart his logic, and guilt trip him in about five minutes flat," replied the raven-haired man with a smile as Riku was enveloped by Leon's embrace. "I'm so proud…now you just need to use that arsenal intentionally and you'll be ready to rule the worlds."

"No thanks." The turquoise-eyed boy settled himself comfortably on the sofa with Leon. "I'll be happy if I can just keep Sora from running headfirst into trouble next time…"

"You mean that literally, don't you?" questioned Leon. He grinned slightly and kissed the boy's temple after he nodded. "Are you alright?"

Riku nodded again. "I think we mainly got by on dumb luck though…"

Zack chuckled and draped an arm around Aerith's shoulders. "Boy do I have some stories for you, kid…"


	218. Ceraunophobia

_Prompt: Ceraunophobia_

_Given by: Spazmantastic_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Zack/Aerith, Leon/Riku, Implied Pre-Cloud/Reno-Reno/Cloud_

_Author's note: This takes place after Nut and Drinking, but before Cosplay and Convention, for those of you whom suspect will wonder. It should be able to be read alone though.

* * *

_

Zack entered the Reconstruction Committee Headquarters to find Leon, Reno, and Cloud already there. The first was no surprise but the last caused him to stop and stare for a minute.

He was brought out of his surprise by a curt but level voice. "Where's Riku?"

"Good morning to you too, Squall."

"You know that was nothing against you." The scarred man rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "I thought he was coming in with you."

"Riku's coming, but he's running a little behind this morning…he told me to go ahead without him. He had another nightmare last night and then Enkeli was giving him trouble this morning…kept hiding his clothes and shoes and trying to pull him back to bed." The violet-eyed man tried not to sound as concerned as he was. He knew Leon would worry enough on his own.

Steel blue eyes showed a hint of concern and Zack knew that was just the tip of the iceberg. "That isn't like Enkeli."

"Who's Enkeli, yo?" Reno glanced from Cloud to Zack as he asked.

"Enkeli is the puppy Leon got Riku for Christmas," replied the raven-haired man.

The Turk snorted and glanced at the Gunblade wielder. "You _are _a paedophile."

A sable eyebrow arched. "What does my choice of holiday gift have to do with that?"

"It does sort of enhance the fact that he's just a kid," commented Cloud.

"If Aerith had a friend who had a dog that she adored and that dog was having offspring before the holidays, I would get her a puppy too, and she's not a kid," stated Zack. "Wouldn't either of you do that for your girlfriend…assuming you ever have one again?"

"Thanks Zack." Leon sighed. "You aren't going to stop teasing Riku about the uke thing anytime soon are you?" The violet-eyed man shook his head. "Uke's not the same as girlfriend anyway you know…you think women like Tifa or Shera are passive in their relationships?"

"You know, Stone Cold has a point there," commented Reno. "So…what happens if neither guy is always willing to take the passive role?"

Leon shrugged, Zack seemed to be considering the question, and Cloud looked torn between amusement and disgust. "Never mind," commented the redhead. "I really don't think any of us want to put that much thought into it this early, yo."

Zack suddenly looked at Reno as if he had just realised he was there. "Hey…are you okay to be working already? I figured you'd be out for a while after the incident…"

The Turk waved off the comment. "Naw…it takes a lot to keep me down. Of course, if I hear one joke about any of that shit I am seriously going to beat the crap out of whoever said it, yo…just to warn you. I'll be cool with it eventually but-"

"Trust me," the former lieutenant interrupted seriously. "If anyone does joke about that, you're going to have to beat me to kicking their ass…that is definitely uncalled for."

"I don't think anyone here is foolish enough to joke about that in front of any of us in this room," added Leon stonily.

Icy blue eyes shifted between the other three men before settling on Zack again. "So how's Silver holding up after all of that?"

The boy's godfather and boyfriend exchange some silent communication before the former answered. "He's taking it hard, but not nearly as hard as he could have. That blow struck a few more targets than it was intended to."

Reno nodded and then the door opened to admit Riku into the room, Enkeli walking close to the silvered adolescent's side.

"Shouldn't you wait until he's a bit larger to bring him to work?" questioned Cloud, clearly trying not to smirk at the teenager.

The turquoise-eyes boy shrugged. "He's afraid of thunder and lightning and there's a storm coming. He does better if he's with me, Zack, or Squall, so I brought him along. I'm probably going to be on the computer all day anyway."

The questioning glance Riku shot Leon was clearly asking if it was okay. The scarred man nodded at his young lover without any hesitation. "Yeah, I remember the last storm to pass through…he ended up sleeping in the bed with us." Clearly, Leon was less than pleased by that memory.

Cloud was watching Leon curiously, Zack was watching Riku with concern, and Reno looked at the boy with a thoughtful expression as he took a few steps closer in order to pet Enkeli. "You can tell when storms are coming too?"

The teen looked over cautiously, and then patted Enkeli's head at the pup's concerned nudge. "Yeah…I think that's just from living on the islands for so long. My mom and I were in an apartment complex by the ocean…it was nice, but it didn't hold up against storms very well."

"That had to be scary for a kid, yo."

"You get used to it after a while."

Some sort of silent understanding passed between the boy and the Turk, and then Cloud suddenly spoke. "Zack…are you okay?"

Everyone else in the room turned to the raven-haired man, who was looking out the window as though trying to decide something. "Yeah…" Violet-eyes returned to the others in the room. "Aerith's afraid of thunder and lightning too. I think it's from how in tuned to the planet she is…storms are chaotic forces of nature and all that. She's usually fine if someone else is around, but she's staying home today and going over our notes and plans for the floral shop."

"Riku;" The named boy, as well as the other three men in the room, turned to Leon as soon as he spoke. "Why don't you and Enkeli stay home today? By 'home', I mean Zack's home. There's nothing pressing that you need to do today, and you shouldn't be working on the computer during a storm anyway. You can work on the plans for linking our computers at home -my home, we need to figure out how to refer to each of those- to the town's computer system, if you want."

"I'm sure Aerith would appreciate your help too, if you have time," commented Zack. "Tell her that Leon and I will be home for lunch…our home obviously."

The silver-haired teen smiled softly and nodded. He crossed the room to kiss Leon, who held him tightly for a moment, and then waved to the others as he left, with Enkeli trotting along beside him.

Zack turned to Leon after the boy left. "Thanks, Squall."

"He looked like he needed some rest anyway," replied the steel-eyed man. "Besides, we'll both get more work done today if we aren't worried about them being alone and frightened…or having a puppy underfoot all day."

Suddenly, Reno smirked. "So what's this about you letting the pup sleep in bed with you, yo?"

"He was whining, Riku was worrying, and it was the only way to get some sleep," replied the scarred man.

The Turk nodded thoughtfully. "So the uke still gets his way once in a while…that's good, I guess."

Zack smirked as well. "That's because Leon melts when it comes to that kid."

"That is true," added Cloud, who was also smirking, although less notably than the other two men. "I've never seen him like this with anyone else."

Leon sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "This is going to be a long day."

Zack smiled. "At least Aerith, Riku, and Enkeli should be comfortable."

Leon smiled back. "That's the only reason why I'm putting up with you"

"Yeah, I'm glad I came back to work today," commented Reno. "This is going to be fun, yo."


	219. Fidget

_Prompt: Fidget_

_Given by: Lady - Kitsune - Kawaii_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Zack/Aerith, Leon/Riku, Cid/Shera

* * *

_

Aerith jumped when the front door suddenly banged open. Sora entered, practically carrying Riku.

She rushed over to help him. "What happened?" They were not supposed to return for another day and a half.

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean for this to- I didn't…I couldn't stop it... I'm sorry, it just happened so fast-," The teen sounded completely shocked and horrified.

"Sora, calm down…it will be alright." Aerith was not so sure of her words when Riku took a shuddering breath as they settled him on her and Zack's bed. Then she noticed a large stain of blood pooling through the chest of a large, thick coat that had been wrapped around the silvered adolescent.

She opened the coat and gasped when she saw the amount of blood staining the boy's shirt. "Sora…run to Cid and Shera's house and tell Zack and Leon to get over here. Tell them to hurry. Sora, go now."

The spiky-haired teen gave a startled nod and then ran out of the room as fast as he could. Aerith began easing Riku out of the strange coat, and intended to do the same with his shirt, but he adolescent dropped a weak hand over hers once she grabbed it. She looked up to see a pair of frightened and pained turquoise eyes staring at her with an almost pleading edge. Riku was clearly barely hanging onto consciousness.

"Riku…you're hurt. I can cast the spell better if I know what's injured." The boy weakly shook his head, his eyes still locked onto hers as though willing her to understand something...she wished she did.

Green eyes broke away when the front door banged opened again and three men ran in with Sora. Zack, Leon, and Cid each entered the bedroom. Sora remained in the doorway, fidgeting nervously as his eyes remained stuck on his best friend's pale form.

"What happened?" asked Leon.

"I don't know. I made Sora go and get you as soon as we set Riku down."

Aerith vaguely heard the others asking Sora questions, but her focus remained on Riku, who began shaking violently. His eyes looked terrified through the pain. "All right, everyone out."

The three men stopped trying to get answers out of the teen and turned to look at Aerith. "You heard me. Riku needs help now and you're only upsetting him. Wait in the next room, all of you…_Now_."

Sora nodded shakily and then Cid steered the boy into the sitting room and sat him on one end of the sofa before sitting on the other end and lighting a cigarette. Zack took one long look at Riku and then placed a hand on Aerith's shoulder. Violet-eyes looked desperate. "Can you help him?"

"I'll do everything I can," she promised as she squeezed his hand. "Now go. You'll just be more upset if you watch and that will make him more upset."

The raven-haired man nodded and left the room. He passed the sofa and began pacing the sitting room with a nervous and frightened expression. Aerith knew Zack could not stand to lose any loved ones, least of all her or Riku.

"Leon-"

"I'm staying." Steel blue eyes never left the boy's face. "You're going to need help, and either way, I am not leaving him."

Aerith nodded. "There are some potions in the closet. Try to get him to drink a Mega-Ether and keep him calm. Something's wrong, but I'm not sure what he's trying to tell me."

The green-eyed woman sat on the edge of the bed by Riku's right side and cast Curaga over him. She might as well have used a cheap Health Potion for all the good it did. A frown marred her features as she ripped off a sleeve of the thick coat to press the cloth over the wound to slow the bleeding. Her spells had always worked in the past. "First try a Mega-Elixir, Leon. I think we're going to need to get Riku strong enough to heal this himself…my spells are having very little effect."

The scarred man sat on Riku's other side. He pulled the stopper off the desired potion and brushed some of Riku's hair away from his face. The silvered adolescent was barely conscious now. "Riku…you have to drink this." Then the Gunblade wielder tipped a small amount of the elixir over the boy's too-pale lips, but it only trickled off them.

Leon frowned as well when turquoise eyes met his. It was not clear whether Riku was actually seeing him or not. He stroked the boy's hair again. "Stay with us, my Sydän…you have to stay focused. You need to drink this."

A slender hand slowly tried to reach for the former SeeD, who grasped it as soon as he saw the motion. Steel-blue eyes darted to Aerith for a brief moment before focusing on the boy again. "What are you afraid of, Riku?"

"He was afraid when Sora brought him in," Aerith stated quietly as she cast another Curaga spell, and was equally as disappointed. "This doesn't want to heal…and he didn't want me too see it when I tried to remove his shirt before you entered."

"What happened out there?" Leon asked quietly, almost as though he was simply thinking aloud, but at the sound of the question, a single tear ran down Riku's temple. The scarred man handed Aerith the potion vial and caressed the boy's face while he continued to hold the teen's hand. Riku's lips parted slightly as though he wanted to answer his boyfriend's question, but he lacked the strength to speak.

The Green-eyed woman moved the bottle to the boy's mouth, "Here Riku. Take this…then you can tell him. Please baby…you have to drink this."

Aerith began to tip the bottle slowly but surely, and while some did spill from the teen's pale lips, the boy managed to drink its contents steadily…The kind woman sighed as Leon continued stoking the boy's hair and whispering quiet assurances and pleads to him. She glanced out the door and saw Zack still pacing with a heartbreaking expression, Cid lighting yet another cigarette with a shaky hand, and Sora, who was nervously looking at the other two men and rocking slowly in his seat while continuing to fidget.

An odd sound from Leon returned her attention to Riku, whose turquoise eyes had fallen closed. Green eyes rose again to meet steel blue.

Without a word, Aerith removed the makeshift dressing form the boy's chest and Leon began to gently but quickly remove his young lover's shirt. The Gunblade wielder hissed and placed one hand on the boy's head and the other over his own heart as if it hurt. At the same time, Aerith gasped and pressed the cloth in her hand over the wound again.

"He's lucky it missed his heart," commented the green-eyed woman as he patted the wound and quickly held the dressing away to see it. "It looks odd…I can't imagine what sort of creature could have caused this…although those Heartless-"

A quiet gasp from Leon caused Aerith to stop speaking and look at him. The scarred man looked enraged and shocked as his eyes rose to gaze from Riku's injury to his face. His voice was low and icy when he spoke, again as though to himself. "What the hell happened out there…?"

"Leon, what is it?" Aerith held the cloth over the injury again. "Try to get him to wake up…he needs to take another potion and then try to heal this. We're running out of time."

The steel-eyed man grabbed a Mega-Ether and stroked the boy's hair again. "Riku…come on my Sydän. Stay with me…"

Aerith sighed when the boy's eyes drifted open after another few seconds. His attention seemed fixed on Leon, and he still seemed to be trying to say something with his expressive eyes. Leon pulled the stopper from the bottle and then held the adolescent's hand once again.

"Don't worry, Riku. Just take this. You can explain after you're well…I won't do anything until I hear what you have to say. Just drink…" It seemed that Leon understood enough to know what the boy was after, as the teen's eyes showed a hint of relief at those words and he drank the next potion with a little more ease than the last.

"Another ought to do it for him to have enough strength for one casting…that should be all he needs to survive," Aerith said to Leon, whose body was still tense but whose eyes looked relieved at the statement. "After he's had some rest he can cast it again to take care of any residual damage and then he'll just need to take it easy for a few days."

Leon nodded but said nothing as he poured another Mega-Ether into his young lover's mouth. The boy was still for another moment before, with an obvious effort, he cast his Health Potion Spell on himself. The lesion closed significantly, leaving a clean and non-life threatening wound behind. Then the boy's eyes drifted closed again.

Aerith turned her attention to Leon. "What was he so afraid of?"

"...Mainly our reactions, I think."

That only confused her more, "To what?"

Steel blue eyes glanced out of the room as though to make sure the other three were still out of earshot. Meanwhile, his hand that was not holding Riku's own moved over the boy's chest. "That wound was caused by a Keyblade."

The green-eyed woman was about to ask another question when something fell into place in her mind. She followed Leon's gaze, which was not watching the other three males in the next room, but one specifically. Aerith frowned as her own eyes moved over the fidgeting Keybearer.

The bloodstains on Sora's clothes would not have been caused by him trying to help his friend; in fact, he would have had to be standing directly in front of him when the injury was inflicted to have most of the blood on him.

Aerith looked at Leon again. "Do not do or say anything until Riku can explain. I'll tell Zack once he's calmed enough."

The scarred man nodded, his gaze had returned to the unconscious adolescent between them. "Don't tell anyone else yet." He did not have to explain why.

Aerith nodded as well. "I'll tell them that he'll make it at least. I'm sure Zack will ask Sora what happened once he sees Riku for himself. I'd like to hear his response."

"He can't be here when we ask Riku for his side of the story."

"I know." With that understanding between them, Aerith quietly left the room and shut the door behind her.

Leon did not leave Riku all night.


	220. Haven

_Prompt: Haven_

_Given by: Lady - Kitsune - Kawaii_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Zack/Aerith, Leon/Riku, Post-Sephiroth/OC, Pre-Cloud/Reno-Reno/Cloud (Is there a shorter way to imply that?)

* * *

_

A pair of unseen eyes watched the two males who were the owner of the eyes' last link to humanity.

They watched as a raven-haired man gathered a few hidden items from a loose stone below a church pew as he spoke to the silvered adolescent with him.

Despite the hole in the roof, as well as the general air of disrepair to the old building, the church still seemed to serve as a type of haven for those whom had once seen it in its full glory. The fact that this parting conversation was being held here was not lost on the watcher.

"I don't know how long this will be, but I don't intend to stay any longer than I have to;" Zack rose from his crouch and stuffed the items he had retrieved into a bag he brought along.

"If you don't want to be there, then why are you going?" Riku's otherwise impassive tone held a touch of suspicion and concern. "You've never showed any feeling of obligation to anything outside of Radiant Garden before."

"You know Reeve and Vincent decided to try to rebuild their old home here on one of the other continents now that Traverse Town is doing so well?" Zack turned to face the boy, who nodded. "Well, they've run into some problems and they need…a specific kind of help. Therefore, Cloud, Reno, and I are going to help them out."

"They only asked for you and Cloud…Reno just volunteered to come along for some reason," stated the teenager evenly. "Do you honestly think I can't figure out that there are only so many things they would specifically ask for you and Cloud to handle?"

"It isn't Seph or Gen." The violet-eyed man crossed his arms and paced a few feet as he spoke. He clearly realised the boy knew more than he had assumed he would piece together. "But there are some definite…similarities; I don't think we're dealing with a part of the Jenova project though. These guys don't seem as organised as any of Hojo's experiments would be. We aren't going over there to solve anything anyway. Reeve and Vincent will handle that. We're just eliminating the threat."

"Okay, then why I don't I go with you," answered the turquoise-eyed boy easily. "It's not like I can't handle myself in a fight. And if these guys you're taking on are reminiscent to Genesis or my father, then I'll probably be useful..."

The watching eyes narrowed. It could not be what he thought. The odds of _them _becoming active now were unbelievable. Still, he recognised the descriptions that his former friend was avoiding. Nevertheless, _they _could not find out about the boy.

"No;" Zack's response was firm and concerned. Perhaps he knew more than he was letting on as well. "If it does have anything to do with your dad or any of that, then it's even less safe for you than it is for us. Besides, you have your own problems to deal with. I wish I didn't have to go but-"

"It's okay Zack." Riku interrupted softly, clearly understanding what the man meant. "You can't protect me from everything and I wouldn't want you to anyway. It's too foreign for me…but I do appreciate you wanting to…" The boy released a small sigh and looked down at the flowers growing in the building.

The former SOLDIER ran a hand through his hair. "Ku…it isn't that I don't think you're capable or anything like that. I just don't want you to have to-"

"It isn't that." The teenager's gaze was still averted. "I'm just worried."

"...About what?"

"That you won't come back…" The boy's fingers toyed with the hem of his shirt slightly.

Zack was standing directly in front of the boy within a heartbeat. He stilled the teen's hand and held onto it as he used his other hand to raise the boy's chin to make him look up at him. "I will come back. I have too much to return to now…But I have to do this. You understand."

The silvered adolescent nodded that this was true. Zack brushed some of the boy's hair aside and continued to hold the child's head as he stroked his temple with his thumb. "As much as I hate it, if the Heartless return or the worlds need the Keybearers, it'll be _your _fight…and Mickey and Sora's of course. This one is _our _fight. That's why Cloud and I have to go. It's also why Reno volunteered…somewhere along the line, it became his fight too. So stay here with Leon and Aerith…make sure she's okay for me, all right? I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise."

"Okay," Riku answered quietly as he stepped forward to hug the tall man. Zack immediately returned the embrace. "But be careful."

"Of course," the violet-eyed man replied as he stroked the boy's hair. "Someone has to set that example for you…"

For the first time since he remembered the incident, the man watching did not regret handing the boy over to his best friend all those years ago.

After Cloud and Reno arrived and the three men left together, Riku turned and looked up through the hole in the roof. Slender hands connected in a gesture that the child must have learned from the man that had just left, or that flower girl the ex-SOLDIER had married. The boy's mother would not have taught him such an action. The winged man was too far away to hear the child's soft voice when he whispered something, but he knew what the boy said anyway.

Despite never having been taught such beliefs himself, he had asked for the same thing when he watched the raven-haired man leave with his son nearly sixteen years prior.

_Please let him come home safely._

Instead of following the child home as he had originally intended, the One Winged Angel followed the sound of twin motorcycles...One with a familiar head of black hair atop it, the other being ridden by a recognizable blonde with a redhead behind him.

It had been a long time since he had fought beside a friend.


	221. Solitude

_Prompt: Solitude_

_Given by: Lady - Kitsune - Kawaii_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Referenced Zack/Aerith, Leon/Riku, Tifa/Rude, Post-Cloud/Aerith, Post-Cloud/Tifa, Post-one-sided Cloud/Riku, Cloud/Reno-Reno/Cloud_

_Author's note: I decided to explore this character a bit more and try a different style here…I cannot say I am particularly pleased with the result. By the way, the quote "Solitude vivifies; isolation kills" is from Joseph Roux.

* * *

_

It had once been said that solitude vivifies; isolation kills. Cloud could not remember where he heard that, probably something that one of the Jenova projects read and told Zack, who repeated it to him. However, it did not matter, because wherever the obscure quote had come from, it was true nonetheless.

Therefore, Cloud opted for solitude before the inevitable isolation could kill him…and it _was _inevitable, the way he saw it.

He had been happy once. He and Zack had been close friends, as had he and Tifa. He idolised Sephiroth and even had his first big crush on the silvered man, who seemed perfect in every way. That was his first taste of disappointment. The General turned out to be more of a monster than the angelic creature he appeared to be. The world, and if he were honest, Cloud himself, still had not recovered from the silver-haired man's betrayals.

Then, when (thanks to Ansem the Wise, Hojo, and Sephiroth's overactive egos and never-ending conflicts) their world was overrun by Heartless, he had fled with Zack and Tifa, and even though things were rough, he was still happy. He was not alone and he still had his friends to lean on for support and look to when he needed inspiration.

Eventually, he and Tifa became more than friends and experienced the whole first-love thing. It did not work out, but they promised to remain friends and come to other whenever they needed a friend. So far, Tifa had kept her promise…Cloud did not think he had done very well though.

Zack he had failed completely. First, he let his friend become lost to the darkness (or wherever those who vanished with a lost world went to) in order to save him. Cloud had promised to take care of Aerith, assuming he ever found the young woman again, and live out both his and Zack's lives fully…it was all that Zack wanted in return for his sacrifice.

...But of course, Cloud had screwed that up too. He did a poor job of living his own life fully, let alone Zack's as well. He somehow confused his life with Zack's in the process, and even thought that he was in love in Aerith for a time. She had recognised qualities from her former love -her _true _love- in him and they had tried to make it work. However, Cloud learned the hard way that the echo of a love lost cannot make up for the real thing…and soon that ended too. At least Cloud learned who he truly was out of it.

Then, there were his years of wandering, fighting a never-ending battle, and distancing himself from those who cared, but whom he could also fail, leading to that inevitable isolation. Therefore, he wandered in his solitude, always seeking out his own light in the wrong places while falling further into darkness.

Then Riku had entered the picture. While the boy made Cloud see how foolish he had been and showed him the real way to find redemption, he also needed Cloud and found comfort in the simple pleasure that was the presence of a friend. It was not long before the wannabe ex-SOLDIER felt something entirely different and inappropriate for the adolescent. However, this time, Cloud had the sense from experience not to act on it. The child was too young, too pure, too lost, and just reminded him too much of Sephiroth before he lost it. If Cloud had managed to seduce the kid, he would have only hurt him later, and he cared too much to risk it.

Then Cloud introduced Riku to Leon and he saw what they failed to right away. ...And since neither ever did anything half-assed, both of his friends fell for each other hard and completely. While Leon was reluctant to open himself emotionally and Riku was still tender and green, Cloud knew it would work. They simply fit together and he knew Leon would take better care of the kid than he ever could. That theory was proven when all three discovered exactly why Riku was so reminiscent of Sephiroth...Cloud was still ashamed of how he reacted to the news. However, Leon had never wavered in his feelings for and protectiveness of the boy, who seemed to gain strength from the scarred man's understanding and acceptance of the situation. Cloud did not have to assume that they would work together after that, because then they truly were together and they certainly worked. He was genuinely happy for them.

By the time he let Tifa into his life again (his old friend had persistently hunted him down), she had finally decided to give Rude a chance and with the bald Turk she found the happiness that she could not find with Cloud. They took in an orphaned boy and started their own business just as the mahogany-eyed woman had always wanted. They even rented Cloud the living quarters over the tavern later on, when they moved into a real house, and encouraged the blonde to start his own business and begin to make a place for himself in their home world, which was slowly being rebuilt. Cloud knew he would never have the kind of family life they had, but that was all right. Tifa did, and she deserved it. Again, he was simply happy for his friend.

Cloud received the shock of his life as well as his biggest relief when Zack returned to Radiant Garden. The man clearly held nothing against his old friend and they fell back into a comfortable companionship right away. The violet-eyed man also picked up where he had left off with Aerith, and neither had ever seemed happier. Once, when Cloud was watching the two together and smiling softly to himself, Riku had come to stand beside him and remarked that maybe neither of them had messed things up for their friends as much as they had thought. Cloud could not help but agree when Zack asked him to be the best man at his and Aerith's wedding. He wondered if they knew that their wedding was also the happiest day of his life.

Cloud did not particularly want what his friends had found. That always-and-forever love and that person you could not imagine your life without simply did not appeal to him, but sometimes he longed for more than what he did have. He did not want someone who needed him, someone whom he could and probably would disappoint later on. However, he wanted someone to call him at the end of a long day to ask about it and then bitch about his or her own day. He wanted someone he could call up, have dinner with without preamble, and then invite back to his place for the night without them wanting to take over half of his medicine cabinet. It seemed simple to him, he wanted companionship and trust, without promises of eternity and having to explain everything that did not matter anymore to anyone but him and a few of his friends.

That was where Reno came in. At first the two men had mainly been screwing with the minds of their friends (and the general public), who had tried to fix them up, but they soon found that they had the same goals and intentions as far as a romantic relationship went, they got along well, and enjoyed one another. Most importantly, neither wanted nor expected more than the other intended to give.

Neither was offended or hurt if the other was too busy when they called to see if they wanted to get together. Neither felt the need to explain their life stories to the other, nor did they look for greater meaning when one did decide to offer some bit of information about their past or thoughts. They did not try to memorise each other's favourites, but they also did not read anything into it when one volunteered such information or randomly asked about it. They could spend an evening in silence, both lost in their own thoughts, which they had no intentions of sharing or asking about, but they could also spend an entire night debating the superiority between a milkshake and a malt, or something equally meaningless.

The physical aspects of their relationship were very much the same. They could spend an evening together and actually not have sex, or they could spend an entire evening having sex, or anything in-between. There was no structure like Leon and Riku seemed to have, no designated seme and uke. Sometimes Cloud would wake up to find that Reno had already left to start his day. Sometimes there would be a message on his call phone telling him that the redhead had covered for him because he was late and that he owed him. Sometimes Reno would still be in bed with him, asleep or reading the paper and complaining that something else had gone wrong in the restoration and Leon better not expect them to put in extra hours because of it, and didn't he have his own silvered little pretty boy to distract him from this crap?

They did not share the dreams of their future like Tifa and Rude did. They did not share an almost psychic bond as Zack and Aerith seemed to. They did not share small, private smiles and looks as Leon and Riku did. There were no intimate glances and touches; no pet names; no promises for the future; no plans to take another step. It was just then and there and seeing where it all went. That was all Cloud wanted and needed.

It had once been said that solitude vivifies; isolation kills. Reno laughed when Cloud told him that one day, and said he had been spending too much with the silvered little angel, because only those Jenova project rejects talked like that. However, it did not matter, because wherever the obscure quote had come from, it was not true anyway.

Cloud smiled when he found he agreed. He was not co-dependent on anyone nor was he isolated or solitary…but he did have everything he needed and for the first time in years, he was happy.


	222. Traitor

_Prompt: Traitor_

_Given by: Nyah-chan_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Zack/Aerith, Leon/Riku, Cid/Shera_

_Author's Note: This one follows Fidget.

* * *

_

Zack looked up as soon as Aerith entered the room. There was worry and confusion in her eyes, but she offered him a small smile that immediately relieved the tension in his shoulders.

"He's okay," the ex-SOLDIER breathed the words out as he crossed the room to hug his wife. The issue clearly was not over yet and Aerith still had something to tell him, but even if Riku could never fight again and required special treatment, Zack could handle that. He knew Riku was strong enough to handle that too. All that mattered was that the boy was all right.

Sora repeated Zack's statement with a questioning tone from the sofa. "He's okay?"

"Yes…" Aerith took a step back to address Zack, Sora, and Cid, but the violet-eyed man noticed that she seemed to watch Sora closely as she spoke. "He's resting now, and he'll have to cast another healing spell on himself when he has the energy-"

"Wait, why does _he _have to?" questioned Zack. "You said 'another'…Did he have to cast it the first time? Why…?"

"Because my spells weren't strong enough," admitted Aerith easily, knowing that Zack and Cid would understand what that implied.

Cid's cigarette fell out of his mouth, he caught it before it could burn Zack and Aerith's carpet, but neither of the home's owners were paying attention to that. Zack had stiffened and suddenly turned to Sora.

"What happened?"

Sora shook his head; tears filled his eyes as he looked away from the ex-SOLDIER. "I-I'm not sure…it happened so fast… W-we were fighting, there were Heartless everywhere…and then, I-I just turned and he-"

Zack placed a hand on the teen's shoulder and leaned down a little to look at the boy's face. "Hey, it's okay…you heard Aerith, Riku's going to be alright. Just take a deep breath. Now, do you know what actually hurt Riku?"

"We saw the wound," Aerith stated quietly. "Leon recognised it right away."

Cerulean eyes widened before Sora started trembling. "I-I didn't mean for it to happen…I just- I was fighting and like I said, they were just everywhere…and then I turned and Riku must have been- I don't know, he always protects me when we battle together…I guess he was moving in to cast a shield or something…but I didn't know, I just turned! Then…it was just…in his chest and he looked so shocked and he _still _protected me, but then he couldn't- He just…went down. I- I'm sorry…I didn't mean to!"

For a moment, no one moved or spoke as they all realised just what Sora had meant. Cerulean eyes were still locked with violet, which would not release them. Finally, Zack straightened and glanced at Cid. "Can you take Sora to Cloud's place for the night? I don't think he should be left alone just now and Leon and I will want to stay with Riku…Cloud can understand what he must be feeling right now better than we do anyway…"

The Gummi pilot nodded slowly. "Sure, Zack…whatever you want to do. Let me know how Riku is when he wakes up though, yeah?"

"Yeah, of course; Thanks Cid," The raven-haired man turned back to Sora. "It'll be all right, Sora. I'll see you tomorrow, okay? …And maybe Riku will be up for a visit too."

The spiky-haired teen nodded. "Okay…thanks Zack. I really am sorry…"

"I know you are," replied Zack quietly; "Try to get some sleep…you look like you need it."

"O-okay…I'll see you tomorrow." Sora hesitated before speaking again. "Tell Riku I'm sorry…please."

Cid snorted, "Like Jailbait could ever hold a grudge against you. C'mon Kid, Shera's probably wondering why we took of like a heard of spooked Chocobos…"

Zack turned to Aerith as soon as the other two males left the house. He looked shocked, confused, and hurt. "I hate to say this, Aer…but I'm pretty sure that kid was lying."

The green-eyed woman placed a hand on her husband's arm and nodded slowly. "We should talk to Leon…and I'm sure you want to see Riku for yourself."

Upon entering their bedroom, Zack and Aerith saw that Leon had taken towels, water, and some medical supplies from the master bathroom, and had cleaned Riku up, bandaged the remaining injury properly, taken off the boy's shoes, and was currently tucking the blankets over the adolescent. Steel blue eyes merely glanced in their direction when they entered before returning to the silvered teen. "He's still sleeping. What happened?"

Zack walked around the bed to sit on the other side of Riku. He brushed the boy's bangs off his face and simply watched him breathing for a moment before responding. "I asked Cid to take Sora to Cloud's for the night. He says he accidentally stabbed Riku when he spun around in a battle while Riku was closing in to cast a spell or something."

"That doesn't fit," stated Leon. Both Aerith and Zack looked at him curiously. "Riku was terrified…we had to wait until he passed out form the pain to get his shirt off and when he came to, he was too scared to even drink a potion until I promised not to do anything until he could explain. Sora is cocky and has no proper training in battle. Riku knows that we would understand if there was an accident. He wouldn't have been so afraid."

The ex-SOLDIER nodded. "When Sora explained…something was just not right with him. He doesn't have eyes like Riku's, but his face is usually expressive when I've seen him. ...But tonight, he was closed off, he wouldn't make eye contact until I forced it, and he was choosing his words far too carefully. It could just be shock or guilt, but every instinct I have is telling me that he was lying to me."

Both men turned to Aerith, who was sitting at the end of the bed, with her legs folded beside her so she could face them. "I saw how frightened Riku was too…and I saw Sora explain. I think you're both right. Something just doesn't fit…but why would Sora lie about what happened? And what could possibly terrify Riku like that after all he's already handled?"

"I don't know," admitted Leon as he stroked one of Riku's slender hands, which he had adjusted over the blankets. "But I find it hard to believe that this was an accident. It's clear from the wound that the Keyblade struck him straight on, and it's almost right on the mark if the person were aiming for his heart. How does that happen accidentally? Riku is good at dodging and deflecting, but this looks like he just stayed still as it hit…why would he be that shocked over an accident? We've seen him with Sora; he would have tried to deflect and then assured him that it wasn't his fault."

"Instead they never even looked at each other," added Zack, idly smoothing Riku's hair while he appeared deep in thought. "Sora wouldn't even come into the room fully when all of us arrived, and he took off without a word of protest or concern when Aerith told us to leave the room. That doesn't sound like a concerned best friend…especially with how close you guys have always made them sound."

"They are close…or they were anyway." Aerith frowned before continuing in a delicate tone, clearly aware that the others might not like the direction she was about to take the subject. "Do you think Riku might have been controlled? Maybe Xehanort's Heartless started to affect him. Sora might be trying to cover up for him."

"I don't think Xehanort's Heartless could ever posses Riku again, his will and his heart are too strong and he's learned how to suppress him through his past experiences." Leon was clearly not pleased with this suggestion, but also knew that they had to consider all possibilities. "Besides, we would have understood that too, and Riku knows it. So his fear still wouldn't make sense for that scenario."

The Gunblade wielder suddenly closed his eyes and took a breath as though he hated what he was about to say next. His eyes remained on Riku as he spoke. "Zack…you said he was vulnerable to Sephiroth the way Sephiroth is to Jenova; what are the odds of Sephiroth being able to control him or manipulate him like that?"

The violet-eyed man seemed to think for a moment before he shook his head. "Not very high actually; If Riku was completely unaware of it and had no experience with being manipulated, then there would be a possibility. However, Riku's already fought that kind of battle and he knows about Seph and Jenova. He also has better resistances to that then Seph or Cloud; since he's a true hybrid…he has better control."

"Besides, neither Riku nor Sora knows about that connection or possibility," stated Aerith thoughtfully. "They wouldn't understand what it implicates; only that Riku was possessed temporarily like he was by Xehanort's Heartless. So there wouldn't be any reason for Sora to lie or Riku to react as he did."

"You're right," The scarred man nodded. "If anything, they would have wanted us to know so we could help. Riku might have been afraid, but not like he was, and Sora never would have lied and said that he stabbed Riku because of that…actually, I can't figure out why he would say that to cover for Riku at all."

"Well why are we assuming that Riku's the one he's covering here?" asked Zack a little heatedly. "You're right. It makes no sense for Sora to say he accidentally stabbed Riku if Riku suddenly was possessed, or attacked him, or went nuts. However, it does make sense for Sora to lie if _he _did something wrong. Maybe he's actually just covering for himself, like anyone else who tried to kill someone and failed would."

Leon was staring at Riku's slumbering face, clearly thinking over his friend's words. Aerith looked more worried than ever. "It just…doesn't seem like Sora…"

"It doesn't seem like Riku either," stated Zack firmly. "He screwed up _once_,got possessed, and since then, he's been the best and most loyal friend that anyone could ever hope for. Even his screw-ups were with the best of intentions. You've pointed out that he's not likely to be possessed or manipulated in any way again, so let's look at the more reasonable alternative here."

"I never would have expected Seph, Gen, or Ang to turn on each other or anyone else they cared about; no one would have, and look at them now." The raven-haired man also turned his gaze to Riku as he spoke. "From what Riku and all of you have told me, I would never expect either of them to turn traitor either, but there's darkness in every heart, and Sora is no exception. He became a Heartless, he even developed a dark form that he took on sometimes after that, he betrayed Riku's trust before Riku betrayed his, and his Nobody was an angry, manipulative little shit with violent tendencies, which showed even after they programmed new happy, normal memories for him. As far as I know, Sora also has never experienced any regret or showed any signs of remorse for anything he has ever done. Now why are you all set on assuming that the kid is a saint?"

"It's not just him," replied Aerith. "It's hard to imagine that either of them could do something like this…but if Riku were being manipulated then it isn't truly his fault. I guess it's just easier to believe that one of them has a weakness then to consider that one of them has betrayed the other…and the rest of us. You're right though; it isn't fair and it doesn't help us solve this. I'm sorry."

The violet-eyed man nodded and reached over to place his hand over Aerith's own. "I'm not the one anyone owes an apology to, but I'm not mad either. I just…don't like the fact that everyone assumes Riku would have to be the one to lose it. He's proved himself enough times already."

"I agree." Leon looked at his friend. "I wasn't assuming that Riku had to be in the wrong. I was just trying to eliminate the most obvious excuses. In all honesty, my first thought was against Sora. I think Riku knew that, and that's part of why he was so scared. Not only did his best friend most likely turn on him, but he also was afraid of what we would do if he couldn't explain. I think we need to wait until Riku can tell us what happened, and then try talking to Sora again after that if we want to find the truth. I also think we should get King Mickey to come here…we'll need a more impartial party to help us figure this out."

"Impartial?" Zack drew his brows. "This isn't a trial or anything, besides; you and I have taken care of every other legal issue to arise here-"

"But you and I love Riku too much," interrupted Leon. "Of course we'll be more inclined to believe him. Besides, if there is something going on with one or both of the other Keybearers, then King Mickey ought to know about it."

"He's more attached to Riku than you seem to think, but you're right," agreed Zack with a sigh. "He'd be more impartial than either of us, and he should definitely be informed if Sora did this intentionally to hurt Riku."

"I'll try to contact him on Riku's radio." The former SeeD stood and took another long look at his young lover. "Stay with him, please."

Zack stroked the silvered adolescent's hair again. "I wasn't planning on leaving anytime soon."

"I'll go make a pot of coffee," said Aerith as she also stood. "I think this is going to be a long night for all of us."


	223. Pillow Z

_Prompt: Pillow_

_Given by" Nyah-chan_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Zack/Aerith, Leon/Riku, Mickey/Minnie, Cid/Shera, Cloud/Reno_

_Author's note: This one follows Fidget and Traitor, and I am hoping to fit one more in for this arc. However, you will see what happened here in either case._

_By the way, I only have a few lists left, but I am still accepting more if anyone wants to send one in via PM or review. Thank you for reading.

* * *

_

Zack entered poured another cup of coffee and watched as the sky transformed from salmon pink to clear azure through the kitchen window.

It had been a long night, but the violet-eyed man felt content and as comfortable as he could expect. Riku had awoken sometime during the night and had regained enough energy to cast his Health Potion Spell on himself again. The wound on his chest had closed entirely and the bruising on his body had vanished. The teen fell asleep, or rather had passed out again, afterwards, his body having used up every ounce of strength and energy to sustain and heal itself.

Zack had then removed the unnecessary dressing from the boy's healed chest and changed him into his favoured pyjamas before tucking him in and calling Cloud. He did not tell his friend everything, but made sure he knew that he was watching Sora for more than he had probably assumed when Cid dropped the teen off.

This had been one of the few occasions where Zack was actually happy about the Mako coursing through their systems. Leon, Aerith, Cid, and Reno had not fared as well with the lack of sleep.

Currently, Aerith was visiting Cloud and Sora, assuming the latter was awake already, Cid was at home with Shera, and Leon was waiting to meet King Mickey out by the Crystal Fissures. The raven-haired man grabbed a bottle of water and headed back to his bedroom, where Riku still slept.

The ex-SOLDIER smiled slightly upon entering the room. Between the oversized t-shirt Riku wore, and the fact that he was curled up in the middle of Zack and Aerith's oversized bed, the violet-eyed man could not help but picture Riku as a small child. His smile faded slightly as he reminded himself that it was not his fault he had not been there when the boy truly was a small child or during any of the events that left him in his current state.

Zack was saved from such thoughts as Riku stirred and groaned softly. He approached the bed quickly and placed his mug and the bottle of water on one of the bedside tables. "Riku…?" The silvered adolescent had yet to speak since he returned home gravely injured.

"Zack…" His soft voice was weak and slightly hoarse from its recent lack of use. The named man reached for the bottle of water but dropped it and grabbed Riku's shoulders when the boy suddenly sat up on his elbows, eyes frightened and scanning the room quickly. "Where's…Sora?"

"At Cloud's;" the violet-eyed man gently stroked the teen's upper arms until he relaxed slightly.

Cyan-eyes studied the duvet. "Did he…tell you what he-happened?"

"Yes and no."

"What does that mean?"

Zack tucked some of the boy's hair behind his ear and then stroked the silver locks gently, waiting until Riku finally met his eyes again to speak. "He offered an explanation, but I don't think it's what actually happened…neither do Aerith and Leon. You know that we all saw the injury and we know what that implies, right?"

The adolescent nodded slightly. "I can only remember fragments after…" He vaguely indicated his chest.

The raven-haired man picked up the bottle of water and handed to the teen before settling on the bed beside him. He rubbed the boy's back as he drank most of the bottle. The boy remained silent after that, so Zack asked the question he had been thinking on since Sora lied to him the previous day, "After what, Riku? Please, tell me what happened."

Riku turned his head to look up at Zack. Pain, fear, betrayal, acceptance, sorrow, and a strange sort of loneliness were present in the boy's expressive eyes, and the ex-SOLDIER knew immediately that he was about to hear a truth the teen would rather not voice or face, but it simply was no longer in the boy's nature to lie ot skirt his issues.

Zack adjusted an extra pillow behind the silvered adolescent so that he could sit up comfortably and then he held the boy's hand and simply waited for the teen to find the best place to begin.

"I don't think Sora meant to kill me," Riku began quietly and sadly. "But I don't think he cared whether I survived or not in that moment."

The violet-eyed man stroked the boy's hair again and then left his hand on the teen's shoulder. He knew exactly how the boy felt. Riku surprised him by continuing to look into his eyes as he spoke. "He should have paid attention to what happened to me…and I should have paid attention to how he talked about everything that happened with him, but there's nothing to do about that now…"

Turquoise eyes blinked back some extra moisture before staring into violet again. "Sora made a common mistake…he decided a long time ago that the darkness was evil and the light was good. I could see why he might feel that way…he's not as familiar with either as I am, so I guess he thought that surrendering to light wasn't as bad as surrendering to darkness. He was wrong."

Zack rubbed the back of the boy's hand with his thumb. "He surrendered to the light? Didn't he realise how extreme that is…that it-"

"No, he didn't," Riku interrupted quietly, but it was clear in his eyes that it was important to him that Zack understood that. "He thought the light was just good, and he doesn't realise that extreme light is as bad as extreme darkness."

"We were fighting…not each other; the Heartless, I mean. I guess he just thought that there were too many and that…I don't know… I honestly don't know what he was thinking. He was more powerful for a little while, but something was wrong…he didn't feel right, and his scent got strange. We eventually defeated all of the Heartless; I don't think he even needed to surrender to the light to do it. We were okay; it wasn't that serious. I had already taken out half of them anyway." Now confusion worked its way into Riku's eyes as well. "I don't understand why he did it."

"We don't always understand the actions of others…even our closest friends." Zack brushed back the boy's hair again, strictly as an act of comfort. He could see the teen's eyes clearly. It occurred to him that the boy had not maintained eye contact with him this long since he was a baby. He hoped it would eventually become a normal occurrence. "You know too much about the darkness and the light. You use both, but don't surrender to either. You'll probably never understand why anyone would, after all you've seen and felt."

The adolescent nodded, this answer seemed to be enough for him as he squeezed Zack's hand and continued. "I destroyed what seemed to be the last of the Heartless in the area and turned to face Sora. He attacked me. At first, I wasn't sure what was wrong with him…I just kept deflecting and dodging and calling his name, telling him it was me, but- He just wouldn't stop. He said something about all hearts having to be purged of darkness. I think _his_ darkness was drawing Sora." The boy touched his chest again to make sure his implication was clear.

"So after destroying the Heartless, he went for the next most powerful source of darkness, which was Xehanort's Heartless…and the fact that it was trapped in your heart didn't matter." Zack squeezed the slightly smaller hand in his own. "That's what you meant before. He didn't want to kill you directly, but he was willing to sacrifice you to achieve his goal…I'm so sorry Riku. I know how hard this is."

"I know…thanks, Zack." The boy's gratitude and trust were also apparent in his eyes, along with all of the other emotions still shining through them, and Zack had to clench his jaw not to tell Riku that he could stop if it was too painful. He decided he would at least try not to make the boy have to explain all over again.

Riku took a deep breath. "After a little while…or a long while, I don't know, it sort of felt like both… Anyway, I used a light spell and that seemed to throw him off. Sora just stood there with this look on his face…like when he's struggling with something that's gone over his head. I released Way to the Dawn and said his name again. I took a step toward him...when I feel like it's too much, it usually helps when you or Leon touches me…I though maybe if I touched his arm or something, it would help. Once I took a step toward him though, he attacked again."

"I was able to turn slightly, so he didn't hit my heart straight on…it's sort of stupid, but I was afraid that if he hit my heart, that _he _would get out." The silvered adolescent released a sad sound that was probably an attempt at a brief laugh. Then his eyes filled with tears. "The Keyblade vanished. I think that's actually what snapped him back to reality. I couldn't move…I just started shaking and blood started flowing out, and- Sora looked so shocked; I think it was for him the way it was for me before I was possessed. I was in control of my actions, but I still didn't really _know _what I was doing…does that make sense?"

Zack nodded and wiped away a tear that had escaped onto the boy's cheek. Riku just continued staring into his godfather's eyes forlornly. "He said he was sorry…that he didn't mean for it to go so far. After that he just started asking me what to do…he's always been hopeless on his own. I'm not sure exactly what happened after that. I knew I needed to get back here…I think I said your name and then he got it, but everything 's in fragments after that until I woke up here with you…"

After wiping a few more stray tears off the boy's face, Zack slipped his hand behind the teen's head and pulled his face to his chest as he wrapped the other arm around him. Riku gripped the sides of Zack's shirt and the ex-SOLDIER kissed the top of his head before whispering; "I'm sorry Ku…I'm so sorry. King Mickey is on his way. I'll tell him and the others what happened. We can help Sora, I'm sure of it, but my first concern is you. Don't be alone with him until we have this settled out, alright?"

The violet-eyed man felt Riku nod against his chest and then heard his slightly thick and muffled voice. "I don't think I have much of a choice, but I won't."

Zack looked down in concern. "What do you mean?"

"I know Mickey's going to take it from here…He knows more about this stuff than we do. Sora and I will listen to him. I feel bad…I shouldn't be so relieved about that…"

"Ku, you shouldn't feel bad about that," Zack leaned back slightly so the boy was in amore comfortable position. "You shouldn't feel like you have to handle everything on your own or take care of Sora…you're just a kid and no one should have to handle everything by themselves. We shouldn't have let you two go by yourselves to begin with…I won't be making that mistake again next time."

Riku turned his head to the side and loosened his grip on the violet-eyed man's shirt. He now seemed to be using him as a pillow more than a lifeline. "Thanks, Zack…"

The ex-SOLDIER rubbed the boy's back as he felt his breathing even out and then begin to slow. "Anytime, Ku."


	224. Liquor

_Prompt: Liquor_

_Given by: Nyah-chan_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Zack/Aerith, Leon/Riku, Implied Pre-Reno/Cloud-Cloud/Reno, & possible Sora/Cloud or Cloud/Sora

* * *

_

Zack awoke abruptly as music issued from his cell phone on the bedside table. A quick glance at the clock beside it showed that it was nearly four in the morning.

"This better be important;" he said as he answered. Aerith stirred beside him and he rubbed her shoulder lightly.

"Hi Zack…its Sora;" The teen was speaking quietly and nervously. "I'm sorry to call so early, but I need to talk to Riku…is he there?"

The raven-haired man rubbed his eyes as he sat up. "Yeah…where else would he be this early? Speaking of which, it's not even four, are you okay?"

"Uh…I think so…yeah. It's not like that kind of emergency but it is kinda urgent…can I please talk to Riku?"

"Okay, but I'll be hanging around if you need any help." Zack got out of bed, causing Aerith to sit up with a yawn before looking at him with sleepy concern. "It's fine, Aer…Sora just needs to talk to Riku. Get some more sleep."

The ex-SOLDIER padded down the hall to Riku's bedroom and entered quietly. A tight lump under the covers and some silver hair fanned over the pillow were the only signs that the boy was there.

Zack sighed before approaching the bed. He hated to wake Riku on one of the rare nights that he had no issues sleeping. He set the phone on the small bedside table over Riku's sketchbook and then gently touched what he surmised was the boy's arm through the covers and the boy's fetal-like position.

The silvered adolescent jumped immediately and probably would have shot out of bed had Zack not been prepared for the reaction. As it was, he merely caught the boy before his waking mind could move in any given direction. "Hey, its okay, Ku; It's just me."

"Zack…Sorry…" Cyan eyes stared at Zack for a moment before glancing around the room. "What time is it? Is everything okay?"

"Don't be sorry," the violet-eyed man wiped a few stray strands of hair from the boy's face. "Everything's okay. It's almost four. Sora's on the phone though, and he says it's a sort of urgent non-emergency."

"That sounds like Sora," murmured Riku as he spotted the cell phone and picked it up while scooting over so Zack could sit beside him on his twin bed.

The ex-SOLDIER took the offered space and stretched his legs out as Riku quickly greeted his best friend.

"Hey Sora, what's going on? ...Mm-hmmm, whatever... …You really shouldn't be drinking that stuff…yeah, I know. Wait, what…? You're… Okay, just calm down for a second…"

Zack arched an eyebrow, as Riku looked shocked, worried, and bemused. He touched the boy's arm and mouthed 'is he okay' when turquoise eyes met his.

Riku nodded hesitantly, still looking shocked as Sora continued speaking through the phone. "Okay, so you woke up in Cloud's bed after drinking with Cloud and Reno last night… Why do you think something happened…are one of them in Cloud's bed too? _Oh_…" Cyan eyes widened slightly.

Now Zack was definitely interested. Riku looked even more concerned and slightly appalled. It also sounded like Cloud and Reno might have gone a bit too far in the whole 'letting the minor drink' thing. He made a mental note to make it clear to his friends that they were not to let Riku drink like that under any circumstances.

The silver-haired boy was fidgeting with the hem of his sleeve as he began speaking thoughtfully once Sora had prattled on some more. "Er…well, did you have any clothes on when you woke up? Okay…er, does he…? …No…sleeping naked together doesn't necessarily mean you had- …Yeah, it is a good indication, but- …Well what do you want me to say?"

The raven-haired man was torn between amusement and concern. While this conversation sounded funny, he knew there could be some serious problems afterwards, depending on what actually happened.

"I don't know…do you have any marks on you? …Like hickeys or fingerprint bruises anywhere that suggests you doing anything- …That has nothing to do with it…I get little bruises on my shoulders and hips from Squall's-" Riku suddenly stopped speaking, flushed, and glanced at Zack.

Black eyebrows drew slightly. "You said you guys hadn't gotten that far yet and that he was always gentle when it came to physical aspects of the relationship."

"We haven't, but you know we _have _done other stuff and he is, he just…I don't know, has a firm grip…" The teen suddenly pressed the phone back against his ear and spoke into it. "Sora you are so lucky I love you…yes, you owe me; I'm going to end up getting _another _sex talk over this… Well maybe you should get one too. …Yeah, that's what I thought."

Zack could hear Sora speaking for a moment, although he could not make out what was being said.

"Okay…well…are you sore or anything? … Huh, I'm not hearing anything that indicates…_oh_, yeah I guess…" The cyan-eyed teen took another glance at Zack before looking away. "I don't know, Sora…I don't really have any experience in _that _department, you know? …Uke, remember…? …Well you've been with a girl, the aftermath is probably the same on your end…"

"The signs would be about the same," commented the ex-SOLDIER as he adjusted into a more comfortable position.

"Zack says the signs would be about the same…yeah, he's here; who did you think I was talking to a minute ago? …I'd just end up explaining it all to him anyway…If I called your home at this hour and said I had to talk to you, would your dad just say okay and then not ask any questions? …See, that's why." Riku rolled his eyes and turned onto his side while scooting lower on the bed. "Well, go to the bathroom then… No, I'll hold, you can leave the phone there."

The violet-eyed man was lying on his side, facing the boy with his head propped on one arm. Riku looked up at him nervously. "How bad could this be? I mean, all of your friends know that Squall and I are together and they don't seem to care…"

"Some actually cared a lot when we first found out, including me, but I knew I could trust Squall," commented Zack as he rubbed the teen's arm. "More importantly, the circumstances were very different. Leon has never give you hard liquor and gotten you so drunk you can't remember anything you or he did," The raven-haired man's grip and eyes hardened slightly; "Right?"

"Of course…Squall wouldn't do anything like that." The turquoise-eyed adolescent looked slightly insulted that Zack had even asked.

"Sorry, Ku; you know I had to be sure," commented the ex-SOLDIER easily as he rubbed the teen's arm again. "If anything did happen with Cloud and Sora though, I don't think it was intentional. Cloud isn't the 'get them drunk' type, Sora's too young and bubbly for him anyway, and he's sort of interested in Reno right now, so I think he'd have put the moves on him if he were going to try to seduce anyone."

Riku nodded and then held to the phone to his ear again after they heard Sora's voice drift out the small speaker. "Yeah, I'm still here. …How do you know?" The silvered adolescent's eyes narrowed slightly. "Are you serious? …Yeah, I would kick his ass too… Did he actually plan it or…? …You're sure…? Well, I guess that's not that bad, but still… Okay…call me later after everyone is awake. Bye Sora."

Zack took the phone from Riku and placed it on the boy's bedside table behind his head. "What happened and whose ass is getting kicked?"

"Reno's;" Riku adjusted under the covers now that the issue was apparently solved and Sora was all right. "Nothing happened; Sora and Cloud just got completely drunk. Reno helped them both back to Cloud's place and Sora threw up all over all of them on the way, so he helped Cloud undress and told Sora to take off his barf covered clothes while he got out something of Cloud's that would fit him. When he came back with some clothes for both of them, they had passed out on Cloud's bed naked. So he threw a blanked over them, left a note in the bathroom for whoever woke up first, and then crashed on Cloud's sofa...both he and Cloud are still out."

"Oh, I am so going to mess with those two after this;" commented Zack. A mischievous grin suddenly formed on his face as he grabbed his cell phone and dialled a number. "Hey, Sora…? It's Zack. Yeah, I figured you'd see the number and think Riku was calling you back. How out are Reno and Cloud? Uh-huh…Well, Cloud can sleep through an air raid once he's out. Do you think you could move Reno without waking him? Give it shot…just start by lifting him and if he wakes up, say you were just dragging his ass off the sofa to wake him up. If he doesn't, put him in bed with Cloud and then go ahead to Leon's, drink some water, and sleep off your hangover…exactly."

The ex-SOLDIER's grin suddenly turned a bit more playful. "Oh, and Sora, you know I'm going to be having a nice long talk with both you and Riku after this, right? …Would you rather it be me or your parents? I thought so. Bye, Sora." He hung up his phone and returned it to the bedside table once more.

Riku had been chuckling quietly as he listened. Once Zack had settled back down, he grinned at him. "Won't Reno just wake up first anyway?"

The violet-eyed man smiled and draped an arm over the teen's shoulders. "Probably, but there's fair odds he won't remember what happened last night for a while and even if he does, do you think he'd pass up the opportunity to mess with Cloud like that?"

"You're good;" murmured the silvered adolescent with a grin. "Now you just need to tell Aerith and then they'll all torture Cloud for you."

A black eyebrow arched. "What? Why would telling Aerith lead to Spiky being tortured? No that that's not an appealing idea…"

Now a silver eyebrow arched as well. "Because once you leave for work, she'll call Yuffie, who'll call Tifa, and they'll meet up with Sora, and devise a way to use this in their plans to get Cloud and Reno together."

"Is that what they've been up to?" Zack laughed. "That's great… Wait until Spiky and Reno figure that one out."

"Oh, they already have," commented Riku. "They're intentionally not letting the others know that they know or whether anything they try is working or not. I think they're waiting for a chance to nail them."

"And you've just been observing all of this without saying anything to any of them?" The violet-eyed man smiled and stroked the teen's hair after the boy nodded. "Oh you and I have got to co-conspire together more often. Between your observational skills and my talent for mischief, the others won't know what hit them."


	225. Pyrophobia

_Prompt: Pyrophobia_

_Given by: Gonzo_

_Setting: Twilight Town; Pre-KHII_

_Pairings: None

* * *

_

Riku wondered if he should make anything of the fact that he felt the approaching scent and feel was almost pleasantly familiar, or the fact that he was comfortable with its closing proximity.

"You know, you don't really look like you belong here." That voice was starting to grow familiar too.

The boy smirked slightly. "I'm sure you blend right in." He kept his voice even for the most part, but could not help but allow his tone to grow somewhat teasing.

There was a sound of amusement, not quite a chuckle, but it made Riku think of warmth and laughter anyway. "I stand out about as much as you do. So why are we here?"

"Maybe we're tired of felling like we're nothing," commented the silvered teen lightly. The older male could interpret that in several ways, but he suspected he would guess right. "I've mastered the shadows…now I need to figure out the light."

The fiery Nobody snorted. "I hate to break it to you, but I doubt you're ever going to blend into the scenery…here, or anywhere else in this realm. Your presence commands too much attention in the light."

"I've managed to get past you a few times."

"You used the shadows," retorted Axel with a teasing edge to his tone. "If there weren't any…"

Suddenly the peaceful feeling that was beginning to settle over the moment of friendly banter vanished. Riku felt every muscle in his body tense and every available sense he possessed sharpen as he felt, smelt, and heard flames arise around them.

"The town," his voice came out softer than he had intended it to.

"I've got it controlled," Axel's voice was certain and laidback. "But I have to tell you, you _really _stand out now. The flames are almost hypnotic reflecting off your hair and…"

Riku could hear the Nobody move closer, and he had to force his attention to stay on what could be a true threat, as opposed to the irrational one that his senses kept focusing on. "What are you doing?"

"You," the older male sounded somewhat pensive and confused, "…are you scared?"

"No." The turquoise-eyed boy was quite thankful for the blindfold across his eyes. His voice never wavered. "But I'm still a little concerned about the town's safety."

"No…" Axel's tone was still perplexed and thoughtful. "You're afraid of something…more than you ever were when I saw you in Castle Oblivion even. What…?"

The line of fire to Riku's left grew closer and stronger. The boy tensed further and stepped to his right while paying close attention to the flame's movement. It seemed to stop moving once he took a couple steps away.

"It's the fire." The Nobody somehow sounded even more confused. "How can you be afraid of fire?"

"I'm not," the blindfolded boy protested softly.

Again, the flames moved, and so did Riku. He felt Axel's hand, which was warmed as though he had been literally handling the flames, on his back. The boy hoped the older male could not feel his heart pounding through his coat.

"Yeah, you are." The flames subsided completely and Riku had to force himself not to sigh in relief. "Don't worry…I won't tell the Organisation or anything. How long have you been afraid of fire?"

Riku hesitated. As much as they got along and understood one another, he and the Nobody were technically on opposing sides. The silvered adolescent knew it was pointless to lie now, but he doubted it was wise to trust the fiery man with any details.

Axel slid his hand up to squeeze his shoulder gently and sounded a little irked. "Look, I won't use it against you. You haven't pulled any tricks with me; I'm not going to with you. I just find it strange."

"It's really not that abnormal. Aren't you afraid of anything that's slightly irrational?" asked Riku with a sigh.

"Nobody…no heart, no feelings…remember?" The fiery male sounded both amused and upset.

Turquoise eyes rolled behind the blindfold. "I am so sick of hearing that. Never mind, then…you won't get it."

Riku only walked away a few steps before the hand was on his shoulder again, trying to stop him and turn him around. "Hey wait…what do you mean _you're _sick of hearing that? You still have a heart, why should it mat-"

The teenager turned towards the Nobody. "Look, unless you traded your brain for a heart somewhere, which wouldn't surprise me at this point, then you should know better than that too."

"I think I was both insulted and flattered by that," commented Axel wryly. "Want to explain what you're ranting about?"

Riku tilted his head slightly. "Are you really insulted or flattered? Do you actually miss Roxas? Why do you empathise with me? Have you ever stopped what you're doing long enough to think about any of that?"

There was a slight sigh and the silvered adolescent guessed that Axel rolled his eyes now. "I somehow doubt that you aren't familiar with the concept of cynicism, and of course I miss Roxas…he's my best friend. That's why I get you. Sora's yours, right? That's why you're doing all of this."

"Yeah…but you see my point, right? You _can _feel." The teen felt his frustration at everything he had heard on the subject over the last few months come to a head when the Nobody scoffed. "Look, you may not have a heart, but so what? People don't actually feel emotions with their hearts. They feel with their brains, and hormones…nerve endings…their souls. Those are the big ones, the mind and the soul. You know how a Nobody is created right?"

"We're what's left over after someone loses their heart," replied Axel dryly.

"You're the _body _and _soul _that's left over…according to Ansem's study, and his research is the definitive works on the subject. That's why only some people leave a Nobody…not everyone's will and personality are strong enough to exist without the heart…and _you _definitely have a will and personality all of your own."

"Do you actually believe all of that?" Axel's tone sounded as close to uncertain as it ever was, but changed when Riku nodded. Then the Nobody sounded slightly taunting, but also very curious and almost awed. "So then, you believe I can understand why you're afraid of fire…why don't we test your theory?"

In the span of a heartbeat, Riku considered this. If he explained, the Nobody might bring a new concept into the Organisation that could weaken it further…and on a personal level, he might gain a friend. Axel already knew he was afraid of fire anyway, so it probably did not matter if he confirmed it. Moreover, if he defeated the darkness, then he could fight fire if he had to as well. He really hoped he would not…for several reasons.

The silver-haired teen could feel the taller male's eyes on him; he lowered his head slightly. "Have you ever had a dream that just felt too real…like an incredibly vivid memory? Only that memory wasn't yours, and you didn't know whose it actually was?"

"Yeah;" Riku immediately knew he had made the right decision at the sound of the fiery man's voice. Axel would not tell anyone else, which meant the Organisation would probably not be affected, but that did not matter. Axel understood.

"I used to have dreams like that when I was really little. There was a man…he did some very bad things. An entire town was destroyed, the people were killed, and there was fire everywhere. It destroyed everything. I've been afraid of it ever since." The adolescent raised his head slightly as a sudden realisation struck. "I've never told anyone about it before…"

"Technically, you still haven't told anybody," commented Axel quietly, but it was clear that he was not so certain anymore. It also sounded like he might not care as much as he thought. "Don't worry…your secret's safe."

"I wasn't worried, but thanks." Riku turned his head. He could feel dawn approaching. "The sun's going to rise soon…"

The silvered youth turned to leave, but that hand stopped him again. "Have you ever tried sea salt ice-cream?"

The blindfolded boy scrunched his nose slightly. "DiZ eats that all the time…it just sounds wrong."

"It's actually pretty good. Roxas and I used to eat it and watch the sunrise from the station roof." The hand released Riku's shoulder and he could hear the smirk return to the older male's voice. "You should try it."

Riku smirked at the questioning tone of the last statement. "Yeah, I should."


	226. Gun

_Prompt: Gun_

_Given by: Gonzo_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Zack/Aerith, Implied Leon/Riku and Post-Sephiroth/OC

* * *

_

Riku had been looking through the basement, searching for a box Aerith needed when he came across a few older dusty boxes marked _Zack_. Two had clearly been opened since Zack's return, but one appeared to be untouched.

After a brief internal debate, the silvered adolescent decided that there was no harm in looking through Zack's old things. He would not mind if the violet-eyed man looked through his personal belongings, so he figured Zack would not mind if he did.

Sitting on the floor with one leg folded on the ground and the other pulled against him, Riku began to look through the first box. In it, he found a few books, a pair of swim trunks and a beach towel, an umbrella, an envelope of photographs (which he took his time looking through), a pocketknife, a pair of sunglasses, and a small wooden box filled with letters that he did not read.

The second box contained Zack's old uniforms and armour, as well as few mechanical devises that caught Riku interest. He has not seen any of them before, but he was always interested in machines and technology. Two were small and egg-shaped, with a small lever and a pin with a ring on the sides. Riku decided not to mess with those. The other machine was larger, but definitely portable, with a strap to carry it over a shoulder, and was probably easily handled by one whom knew what to do with it.

By the trigger mechanism and nozzle at the tip, Riku's first guess would have been a gun, however he had seen (although not handled) both Squall and Vincent's guns and this machine did not have the round, revolving chamber that shifted out to load the bullets into. It also was far too heavy with too many moving parts to be an energy gun such as Xigbar had used. Therefore, Riku surmised that it was not a gun.

Growing curious, the cyan-eyed boy began trying to discern what the small machine was as well as its purpose. He moved around several parts, and noticed a few switches near the trigger, as well as a few glowing dots on the top that you could only see from one end of the machine, which seemed to line up when the machine was held lever to the eye, even if it was technically held facing a downward angle.

Riku had just discovered that a large section of the upper part of the machine could be pulled back, but it snapped forward again with a considerable amount of force and shifted back into place with an audible click before he could really see the inner chamber that was then exposed. The teen was about to try investigating this chamber again by balancing the end against his thigh when he heard a voice start shouting behind him.

The cyan-eyed boy stood immediately, dropping the small machine as he spun around defensively, before he could even register the words or voice.

Zack, who looked like he had just seen a ghost, was standing a few feet behind him. The violet-eyed man held up a hand when he noticed the boy's stance. "Riku…?"

The silvered adolescent dropped his defensive stance and lowered his head. "Sorry, you scared me…what-"

"_I _scared _you_?" The ex-SOLDIER questioned incredulously. "I think you just gave me a heart attack! What the hell were you doing with that?"

Riku furrowed his brows slightly and then glanced at the object on the floor. "Oh…I'm sorry…I was just curious… I was looking for something for Aerith and I saw your boxes…I didn't think you would mind. I shouldn't ha-"

"Riku, you don't play with something like that!" The raven-haired man looked shocked and still rather shaken. "It was aimed right over one of your arteries!"

"I'm sorry, I- Huh…?" The silvered adolescent looked at the small machine in confusion. Then he glanced up at Zack through his bangs.

"Wait;" The violet-eyed man looked frightened and confused. He pointed at the object in question. "Do you know what that is?"

Riku shook his head.

"How is that possible?"

The teenager bit his lip and shrugged slightly. "Maybe they just don't have them on the islands…"

Zack took a couple steps forward and grabbed the unusual machine from the floor. He opened the chamber that Riku had, having no trouble holding it open for a few seconds while he obviously checked something inside. Then he checked one of the switches Riku had been looking at earlier.

The ex-SOLDIER placed the machine on a box beside him as he closed the distance between himself and Riku and pulled the boy against him tightly. The teen could feel the man's heart pounding violently against his throat as he was held against Zack's chest.

"Er…Zack…?" The adolescent cautiously returned the embrace, although with much less force.

The named man chuckled shakily. "Well now I know why they say kids shorten your lifespan…I think you just scared off a few years."

Riku chuckled weakly as well. "Er…sorry…what exactly did I do?"

Zack loosened his embraced. "That thing you were investigating was a gun, Ku. It was also loaded, cocked, and the safety was off, which means that could have been _very _bad."

"Wait," The teenager pulled back to glance at the small machine again. "But it doesn't look anything like Squall's gun…or Vincent's…"

The raven-haired man smirked lightly. "Those are revolvers for private use; this is a military issue, fully automatic weapon…big difference. You honestly know nothing about guns?"

The boy shrugged. "I'm not much of a ranged fighter anyway; I usually use swords, kicks, and my hands…or darkness or light when I do need range."

The violet-eyed man nodded. "Yeah, I've never heard of you using a gun. Do you want to learn sometime? After I can look at a gun again without feeling like I've just swallowed my heart, of course."

Riku grinned softly. "Okay…I really am sorry about that. I shouldn't have messed with it anyway."

"That's all right. I shouldn't have left it loaded." Zack quirked an eyebrow; "Although I'm sure it wasn't cocked and had the safety on when I found it down here."

"I could have changed that when I was checking it out," commented the silver-haired boy. "Sorry…"

The raven-haired man rubbed Riku's arm. "Stop apologising. It really wasn't your fault."

The teenager nodded once and looked at the man through his long bangs. "I know I just…I've never seen you freak like that. It was sort of unnerving."

"Well I suddenly had images of that thing going off running through my head," Zack notably shook the thought away. "Anyway, why don't we head up and have dinner before Aerith starts to worry and I'll come down here and explain what all of this stuff is to you afterwards?"

The cyan-eyed boy smiled softly again. "Really…? Thanks, I'd like that. I was wondering about some of those photos too…"

"I'll explain all of those…you'll really like the stories behind a couple of them. We'll also open the last box…that's mostly stuff your dad and Angeal left behind." Zack's grin subsided as he looked on the ground behind Riku. His eyes suddenly widened. "Were those in the box too?"

The adolescent glanced behind him and noticed the smaller machines he had disregarded earlier. "Yeah, they were wrapped in one of your old shirts. Don't tell be those are guns too…"

"No," The ex-SOLDIER looked a little pale suddenly. "Those are grenades, Ku. _Never _touch them. I'll explain later."

"O-okay;" The silvered boy glanced back nervously as his godfather led him out f the basement gently, but with an arm set firmly around his shoulders.

Riku decided he was not going to play with any unknown items in the future without asking about them or trying to look them up first. He really did not want to see Zack have any more panic attacks.


	227. Pyromaniac

_Prompt: Pyromaniac_

_Given by: Gonzo_

_Setting: Twilight Town; Pre-KHII_

_Pairing: None

* * *

_

Axel smirked when he reached the roof of the clock tower, to find see a black coat fanned out behind a slight form and long silver tresses dancing in the breeze.

Riku was sitting on the ledge, with one leg gangling over casually and the other bent so that his knee was near his chest. One arm draped over that knee while the other lay beside him on the warm roof. It looked as though the boy were merely thinking while taking in the shifting hues of twilight were it not for his long bangs and the black cloth that was tied over his eyes.

"So you decided to check the place out after all." The fiery Nobody grinned as he approached the boy, who merely turned his head slightly. Finally, Axel was standing beside the silvered adolescent. "You do know how high that ledge is, right?"

"Not as high as most of the rooftops we've crossed paths on in The World That Never Was;" commented the teenager smoothly. "I've always liked high, isolated places anyway…especially if you can see the sun rise and set from them."

"So why not take off the blindfold and see it?" questioned Axel as he sat beside the boy and adopted a similar position.

Riku's voice was soft and strangely melancholy when he responded. "It's easier to keep it on."

"Huh, you definitely aren't the lazy kind and if you couldn't see either way, there'd be no reason to be evasive about it;" Emerald green eyes glanced at the adolescent. His face was downcast, and his mouth straight but not tight. Now it really looked like the boy was thinking. "So, is there something you don't want to face or something you don't want seen?"

"A bit of both;" After a brief moment, a faint smile touched the teen's lips. "Still think you can't feel?"

Axel rolled his eyes. "Okay, so maybe you're on to something there. Does that mean you're going to get cocky again?"

Riku snorted. "No, I think I'm done with that sort of attitude."

The taller male leaned back slightly as he watched the clouds change colours. "I don't know, I think something sort of in-between that attitude and this one would be nice."

The redhead had the distinct feeling that the teen rolled his eyes. "Of course you do…that's you."

The Nobody chuckled. "Yeah, I guess it is. Oh, now we're getting to the good part. The reds are coming in and there's enough cloud coverage that it looks like there's a fire in the sky…you aren't scared are you? Want me to hold your hand or anything?" The redhead wondered if the boy could hear his smirk in his voice.

Riku hit the taller male's forearm gently with his elbow and wore a small smirk. "No…thanks for the offer though. That actually sounds pretty. Can you see the beach from here?"

"No, that'd be nice though. I bet the sky would look awesome reflected against the sea right now." Axel glanced at the boy beside him before gazing at the sunset once again with a slight chuckle.

"What's so funny?" The silvered adolescent asked mildly while he tilted his head as though he were glancing at the Nobody.

"I just though it was sort of funny…here we are, getting all friendly; a pyrophobic and a pyromaniac." The fiery man chuckled again. "The truly funny bit that we probably constitute as the best friend each other has as the moment, since ours are sort of out of commission. Plus, they haven't seen our recent changes...and I'm not talking about your bishie transformation either."

The fair teen beside him surprised Axel by chuckling quietly as well. It sounded like he had not come so close to laughter in a long time, but the sound also suited the boy. "I suppose so…but I don't think you're technically a pyromaniac…"

A crimson eyebrow arched in amusement and curiosity. Axel actually enjoyed hearing how the boy's mind worked. "Uh, kid, have you been paying attention when we're together? I _love _fire; How do you figure I'm not _technically _a pyromaniac?"

The boy turned his face away again, as though he were staring into the horizon. "You love fire. You find it fascinating…its beauty, its power, its warmth, its passion, its light, and the constant challenge it offers. It can help create or destroy and while it can be manipulated, it can never truly be tamed. You have to earn the right to dominate it and it tests you the second you let it out of control. That makes you feel worthy; that you have earned that right and won that battle. Am I right?"

Emerald eyes blinked in surprise as they turned to focus on the boy. "Yeah…totally;" The words sounded as though he had just breathed them out.

Riku nodded slightly. "That's not pyromania. That's a strong, unusual fascination and a slight obsession. A pyromaniac is completely mesmerized by fire and feels actual compulsions to start fires. They are not dominating the fire; the fire is dominating them. You can focus and retain your state of mind when fire is present and you enjoy when you get to light fires but you don't feel an uncontrollable urge to do so. Therefore, you are technically not a pyromaniac."

Axel blinked again and then smirked. "That's pretty impressive. You know, if you hadn't had to kick his ass, I bet you and Zexion might have gotten along. I prefer you though. He had no sense of humour to go along with that wit and observational skills. You're the type that likes to learn about stuff you're afraid of, aren't you? I should have guessed; you're definitely the 'face your fears' type."

The teenager shrugged slightly. "It does help."

The fiery Nobody's smirk grew and he arched an eyebrow again. "Then why are you still afraid of fire?"

Once again, Axel could swear he felt the boy roll his eyes; "Because that's an irrational fear, so even knowledge doesn't help."

"Oh, that makes sense." The redhead nodded and leaned back again.

Now a silver eyebrow arched before the boy nodded his head slightly, "In an absurd way, yeah."

Axel snorted. "It's your theory; you're not supposed to admit that it's flawed. You're supposed to use that evasiveness you showed earlier when you know you're wrong or else go down fighting."

The teenager smirked slightly. "Ah, so you are the 'never admit when your wrong' sort; I thought so."

"Of course; And don't try to tell me you don't know what it's like to work with a group that you don't want to show any weaknesses around." The teen nodded solemnly and the Nobody rolled his eyes. "You really should let that stuff go. It's not like you actually helped them accomplish anything, and I think you've done your time."

"I don't let go easily." The boy's voice was soft and even; "Neither do you."

The redhead had to nod at that. He looked over the silvered adolescent again. "Yeah, I noticed that about you. You're right about me too. I guess that's good, but you know there's a time and place for everything right?"

"Yeah;" The silver-haired boy stood gracefully in one fluid motion. He stood at the edge of the building, appearing to look out at the horizon again. "Speaking of which, I think it's time I got moving."

"Yeah;" Axel stood slowly and smoothly. He looked at the now darkening sky again. "I should get moving too. Hay, have you tried that sea salt ice-cream yet?"

The boy shook his head slightly, "No, not yet."

The redhead grinned. "I'll bring some next time."

Riku smiled softly. "Okay, that sounds good."

Each of them open a pathway, but Axel paused a moment to watch Riku disappear through his. The Nobody had always agreed with the boy's belief that they were not truly against one another in this battle for their friends, but now he realised that he was actually glad about that fact.

He also had something to throw at Demyx the next time the water-loving freak called him a pyromaniac.

Axel thought it was no wonder he preferred talking to Riku these days.


	228. Zack

_Prompt: Zack_

_Given by: Anne3448_

_Setting: Unknown/Traverse Town/Destiny Islands/Radiant Garden; Pre-KH_

_Pairings: Zack/Aerith, Cid/Shera, and Post-Sephiroth/OC

* * *

_

Cloud froze as something he could only describe as living darkness began to surround him. It was cold and terrifying, but also very tempting, for he could sense its power.

Zack struck down some more of the strange dark creatures with his buster sword and then ran to the edge of the darkness, but it seemed to hold both young men back. He reached out. "Cloud, give m your hand!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Cloud reached out. His fingers just brushed against the violet-eyed man's but before they could slip, Zack had griped his hand and was trying to pull him away.

Suddenly, sensing a much lighter and stronger heart to claim, the darkness began moving from Cloud to Zack. Blue eyes widened as the smaller hand tightened its grip. "No!"

More darkness began weaving into the existing amount, and it began to engulf the raven-haired man. As they were pulled out of each other's grasps, Zack held out his other hand, having moved it down to the pommel of his sword. Cloud grabbed the hilt and tried to pull his friend away.

Violet eyes captured blue. "Take care of her…and yourself."

"What-?" Cloud's confusion was ebbed when Zack let go and the blonde man fell back with the sword. "No…Zack!"

He stood only to see the darkness completely surrounding his friend, who was still watching him in concern. "...Cloud, run!"

Instead, Cloud stared as the darkness vanished…and so did Zack.

Cloud could still feel the darkness' hold on him. He found he suddenly did not mind so much.

He looked at the sword in his hand. "I'll do this for both of us, Zack."

* * *

Aerith walked down the streets of Traverse Town quietly. Yuffie was skipping up ahead; Cid was walking beside the hyperactive ninja, reading over the contract for the new business that he was going to open; and Squall -no, Leon now- was walking quietly beside her.

She wondered, not for the first time, how Zack, Cloud, and Tifa were…and where they were. The green-eyed girl sometimes wondered how things might have turned out differently if she had attempted to leave with them, but she tried not to…it couldn't be changed and she probably wouldn't change things anyway.

Yuffie already had not understood why they were leaving without everyone. She could not understand the sudden urgency or the fact that their Gummi ship could only hold so many people.

Cid had to bodily force Leon onto the Gummi, for the scarred teen had not wanted to leave without his big sister. He had not been the same since, and Aerith prayed that Ellone had also survived as well.

Cid obviously missed Shera, but he would not say anything about it in front of the three teenagers. He kept a photo of her with him all the time. Aerith doubted that he knew they were aware of that.

Aerith missed Zack terribly, but she felt she could do more good here with her friends. Besides, he had followed his friends Angeal and Sephiroth and she really did not belong amongst the SOLDIERs or the rest of Shinra Corporation.

Suddenly, Aerith felt something stir in her chest. She clasped her hands before it and glanced up questioningly. It was twilight and the sky had turned a brilliant violet.

She suddenly understood what she was feeling. Before her tears could fall, she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked over.

Leon was looking at her with an expression that was as close to concern as showed these days. "What is it?"

Her hands were still clasped as though she were praying, and she wonder if in her heart, she was…she did not want it to be true. "Zack…"

Steel blue eyes studied hers for a moment before filling with understanding and grief. Leon's hand squeezed her shoulder. "I'm sorry."

They stood like that for a moment, and then Cid and Yuffie called for them to hurry up. Leon glanced back, his former sorrow replaced by resolve. "I don't think we should tell them yet."

"You're right." Aerith glanced at the sky once again. "Goodbye, Zack."

* * *

Riku walked home from Mrs. Hiruma's house as the sun began to set. Neither the kind woman nor his mother liked the idea of a seven year old walking by himself so late, but it was not far and he did not want his mom to have to walk both ways.

The silver-haired boy liked the walk anyway. He took his time, and watched the sky change colours, which in turn made the sand and the sea appear to shift hues.

Suddenly, the small boy felt a tightening in his chest and throat. He stopped walking and placed a pale hand over his heart. He almost thought he heard someone, but was quickly distracted by the growing pain in his chest. He wondered briefly if he was sick like his mom when his knees gave out.

Tears began to gather in bright cyan eyes as Riku pulled Thackary from his special pouch in his backpack and clutched the plushie against his small chest. He lowered his face and pressed it to the stuffed animal, its scent loosening the tightness in his throat as he inhaled deep breaths of it.

The small child sat like that, curled in on himself around Thackary, crying and shivering for a few moments. He did not know why he was suddenly so sad, or why it felt like a piece of him had been torn away.

His voice was barely a whisper. "Thackary…? No, _Zack_ary…?"

The child's mind could not make sense of all the feelings passing through him. His heart only knew to feel sorrow over something.

The nightmares, which had only recently ebbed, returned that evening.

* * *

Sephiroth awoke and looked around him, deeply puzzled. The last thing he could recall…was dying.

The silver-haired man was distracted from these odd thoughts when he heard voices in his head, but not the one he was used to hearing.

Two were faint, and sounded like men shouting, but they were quickly drowned out by the third voice, which sounded like a child crying.

Something stirred in the heart he thought he had lost, and he could have sworn he caught an old familiar scent. Memories long forgotten, of himself and his best friend playing with a baby, flitted through his mind.

He then felt a sudden tie to the darkness, as though a distant part of him had accepted it.

A faint smirk touched his lips as he accepted it for himself. The voices suddenly made sense.

Now he just needed to decide how to use it.

"Accept your failure, Zachary. You were never meant for a universe of darkness."

* * *

In a Crystal Fissure, a man with dark hair, streaked with white that matched the single wing over his shoulder, stepped out to look at the sky.

Then his head lowered sadly. Angeal closed his eyes. "Not Zack…"

Midnight blue eyes glanced up again resignedly. He was deteriorating too quickly to pick up the old fight.

"I'm sorry old friend…our time has passed. Rest well…There is still hope."

* * *

On the other side of the world, another woke up after dreams of dying. Icy blue eyes glanced up as salmon pink lips parted in a smirk.

Claret coloured hair was brushed aside as a black wind stretched.

The connection was weak, but he understood enough. Genesis looked around at his dying homeland.

His smirked sharpened. "There is another…they hid it well."

He did not even bother to recall the name of the one who was lost. He had other plans to lie.

* * *

Vincent awoke with a start. Crimson eyes took in the dingy room.

He could have sworn he heard Lucrecia, but that was impossible.

_No_, he corrected his own mind as he moved to gaze out the window, _improbable_.

…_But what could have stirred her?

* * *

_

Zack felt nothing and everything. He wondered if perhaps he _was _nothing and everything. The only thing that seemed to keep him, _him_, were several very fine strands of light that seemed to bind his heart to a few others…and a few strands of something else that kept his mind tied to a different few.

...And suddenly, he knew that he would not fade.

He would still be needed.

…_**I'll do this for both of us, Zack…**_

…_**Zack…Goodbye, Zack…**_

…_**Thackary…No, Zackary…**_

…_**Accept your failure, Zachary. You were never meant for a universe of darkness…**_

…_**I'm sorry old friend…our time has passed…Rest well…There is still hope…**_

…_**There is another…they hid it well…**_

…_I promised I would protect him…I promised I would return to her…_

…_And I will._


	229. Muscles

_Prompt: Muscles_

_Given by: Anne3448_

_Setting: Destiny Islands; Pre-KH_

_Pairing: Post-Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi)

* * *

_

The muscles in Hilargi's jaw were clenched so tightly that it was beginning to grow sore. She shifted her mandible and crossed her legs, taking an indiscreet glance at her watch as she smoothed her skirt.

She finally had another reason to add to her short mental list of the reasons why she was glad for her time working at ShinRa under Dr. Hojo. She could now listen to anyone drone on pointlessly or ask ridiculous questions with her features smoothed into a politely interested expression regardless of any thoughts that passed through her mind.

She was surprised at how often she had used this ability when dealing with the staff at Riku's primary school during their parent-teacher conferences. For one thing, they had no idea what to do with a child as gifted as hers, and for another, they were clearly too used to dealing with laidback small-town simpletons. At least most recognised her as the town's newest and most respected healer, but they had no idea what she had once been. She was glad for that normally, but sometimes she really wished they knew just how much she did.

Still, she paid attention. She had to divert any unwanted notice from her son and keep an eye and ear open for signs of something they would have no way of recognising.

"Riku is so…special;" one professor commented with a pacifying smile after they had all looked over Riku's current grades, participation records, and behavioural notes.

_You have no idea._ "Why thank you. I think so too, but then, I suppose I'm a bit biased."

The woman gave an irritatingly simpering laugh. "Well of course, aren't we all when it comes to our babies? However, Riku really is…gifted."

_The word you are looking for is 'exceptional'. _"Oh yes, he's always been very bright for his age."

"Yes, exactly," Now the teacher wore a saccharine smile. "As a matter of fact, he seems almost…well, bored with his current curriculum."

_Of course he is; he could complete most of this work two years ago. _"I've noticed that too. Have you any thoughts on what can be done to rectify that dilemma?"

The woman's smile faltered as her mind caught up, clearly not used to people using so many syllables around her. She did normally deal with seven year olds, after all. "Well, we'd like to run some tests…"

_He has had enough of that already. _"What sort of tests?"

"Some exams to show where he would be more beneficially placed in the school;" replied one of the other professors. He was actually the one Hilargi preferred to speak to when she had to talk to one of her son's teachers. He acknowledged the difference between speaking to one of his students and one of his student's parents and he did not pretend to adore his job either. "We think he might require advancement in at least a few subjects. As you've seen from his records, he's at the top of his class in everything, but he shows extraordinary talent in specific subjects."

_Some areas of his mind are developing even faster than others are._ "Yes; that sounds appropriate. Is there anything else?"

"Well, while he has improved over the past couple of years, your son is still, well _shy _isn't quite the right word, but he doesn't seem to socialise with the other children." Another reason why Hilargi liked this professor, he paid attention to his students, not just their grades and in-classroom behaviour.

_He is still isolating himself…in his heart, he knows that he does not truly belong here._ "Yes, I've been concerned about that as well. He does have a couple of good friends now, but he does seem hesitant to interact with the other children still."

All three professors nodded. The man spoke again. "We have wondered if perhaps your son's uniqueness is in fact alienating him from the other kids."

_You do not know how true that is. _"Oh?"

The third professor cut in now. Hilargi always had the impression that this woman was unnerved by Riku, and to a lesser extent, Hilargi as well. However, the woman was too polite to say anything if that were true. "Not to say that your son is _unusual _or _abnormal _in any way." Her tone gave away that she thought just that.

_You _should _say it; He is…but I really am pleased that each of you either hasn't the sense to notice or the concern or intrusiveness to ask. _"Of course not; However, it does make sense that if he is so much more advanced than the other kids his age are scholastically, that he might not fit in with them socially either."

The gentleman spoke again. "That's what I was thinking. Perhaps once we place him academically, he'll find that he can relate to the children at his intelligence level with more ease." Hilargi was surprised at how genuinely concerned this professor seemed of her son.

_Then why are you all still talking? There is obviously something else._ "Okay then. It sounds like that is all settled until Riku completes those exams. Is there anything else?"

The smiling teacher looked as though she were about to dismiss Hilargi, but then the quiet one cleared her throat and appeared to be preparing to ask something when the final professor spoke. Hilargi had a feeling it was more for the other professor than to answer her question. It sounded like he was repeating something he would rather not have to.

"No. Riku does not disrupt his classes or cause any trouble. He completes all of his assignments and his grades are excellent. His antisocial behaviour is regrettable, but not all students choose to volunteer to answer questions in class or participate in school events. In addition, as we have discussed, placing him in a class more appropriate for his intellectual level might affect his social skills in a positive manner. Unless there is anything you wish to ask or add; I believe we are done here."

_So, you have already discussed him amongst yourselves and reached very different verdicts. One of you is curious and unnerved; one could not care less as long as Riku passes her class and does not cause her any trouble; and one wants to help Riku fit him and find his place…Interesting. _"No, nothing comes to mind. Thank you all very much; and please contact me when you have made the arrangements for those placement exams."

"All right then;" said the obnoxiously pleasant teacher with a smile as the considerate professor offered a gracious nod and the quiet teacher inclined her head politely. "Have a nice day, Mi- uh, _Ms_. Akeru...?"

_Ah, another person wondering what I'm not telling about Riku's father. Keep wondering…your narrow-minded little head would probably explode if I told you everything I could about my husband._ Hilargi nodded once."You too, and thank you again. Good bye."

The claret-haired woman left the three professors to the next parent who would have to sit through their conflicting attitudes and droning tones.

On the way home, Hilargi thought about what she had learned and applied it to the information she had gained from the tests she had already performed on Riku. She was beginning to fear that she might have to run certain tests annually at least.

The boy was good at not drawing attention to himself, but there were certain elements about him that would always draw attention, whether he wanted it or not, and there was simply nothing to be done for it. Asking Riku to try to socialise more could just draw more attention to any differences between him and the other children his age. Hilargi also hated to ask more of the boy, she did not want him to feel any more different than he already seemed to.

Hilargi's worries quelled and her muscles relaxed when she arrived home to see a note in Riku's miniscule writing sitting on the counter: _Mom, I am at Sora's house. I will be home by dinner. Love, Riku_

Maybe they would be all right after all.


	230. Hippopotamus

_Prompt: Hippopotamus_

_Given by: Anne3448_

_Setting: The Pride Lands; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Implied Sora/Penelo, Leon/Riku, and Kairi/Hayner_

_Author's Note: You may blame or thank (depending on how you react to this) a comment from BlackIceNinja and the film Fantasia for this, as well as Jediempress for Riku's form. Thank you and enjoy.

* * *

_

Sora pranced across the oasis, looking for Riku and Kairi. His magic was not as precise as Donald's was, and so the three friends had landed somewhat spaced out upon reaching The Pride Lands.

"Riku…Kairi…Where are you?" The spiky-haired teen was disappointed to see that his lion form had not grown very much from his last time in The Pride Lands. He only hoped that Riku and Kairi would be cubs as well. "Riku! Kai-_Arrowwlll_!"

The spiky-haired cub let out a cross between a shriek and a yowl as something pounced from above and both he and the unknown assailant rolled across the grass. Before he could gain his bearings, a pair of small paws pinned him on his back. Cerulean eyes glanced up as he growled, only to blink in surprise and confusion as the sound died in his throat.

Above Sora was a white tiger cub, about the same size as himself, with unusually long fur atop its head that resembled hair and hung over a pair of bright turquoise eyes.

"I think you forgot to mention something…" said the tiger cub in Riku's soft voice.

"Uh, yeah…we aren't human on this world for some reason." Sora pawed at the other cub; "Now lemme up. I'll show you how to walk on four legs and fight and stuff."

Riku managed to arched an eyebrow even in cub-form. "In case you haven't noticed, I seem to have walked, ran, pounced, and pinned you just fine."

"Oh yeah…well you always were as graceful as a cat." The lion cub snickered and rolled into a standing position as the tiger cub stepped aside and rolled his eyes; "So any idea where Kairi is? You have the best nose as a human, so it's probably even better now."

"Will you stop talking about that like I'm a hound or something?" Riku tilted his head slightly and then glanced at some bushed on the other side of the pond. "Kairi's over there."

"Good boy…want a kitty treat?" Sora chuckled as Riku's ears fell to the sides while his eyes narrowed. "Oh man, I wish I could figure out how to use my camera like this. I think you're finally cuter then I am."

"I am not." The cyan-eyed cub turned gracefully, hair veiling his eyes, and headed towards the pond.

"Okay, fine…you're just as cute as me." The lion cub ducked, ready for another pounce when he heard a slight growl, but Riku only turned back to the bushes across the pond.

"Kairi, are you okay?"

"Yeah…" Kairi's voice sounded from the bushes, "But you can tell Sora he's in big trouble after this! First he turns me into a green witch at Halloween Town, then a salmon-pink squid-maid at Atlantica, and now this!"

"I don't choose the forms, Kairi." Sora padded over to stand beside Riku. "The magic chooses the form most appropriate or something. I don't really know how it works, but I don't get to control it that way. Besides, both Riku and I change too. Heh, you should come out and see how cute he looks as a white tiger cub."

"I think we'll both be getting Sora back for this one," commented Riku. "Can you get across the pond alright on your own?"

There was an odd sounding chuckle from the bush. "Oh, that won't be a problem…but you guys better not laugh!"

The two cubs looked at one another in puzzlement and shrugged.

Riku turned back first upon hearing a soft splash. The water was rippling and small bubbles were breaking the surface. "Uh, Sora…? We can still swim like this, right?"

"You know…I've never tried." Sora tiled his head slightly in thought. "I don't see why not…"

Both cubs watched the water anxiously as the bubbles made their progress across the large pond. Finally, the water broke, and a hippopotamus calf of an oddly reddish-brown colour climbed onto the grass.

Cerulean eyes widened. "Oh no…where's Kairi?"

"I think that is Kairi…" Turquoise eyes looked over the young hippopotamus. "Right…?"

Inky-blue eyes looked annoyed as they fell onto the two cubs. "Hey! How come both of you get to be cute and cuddly?"

Sora shuddered for a moment and then fell over laughing. "I c-can't…believe you're a…a baby hippo!"

"That's it…I'm squashing you." Kairi stepped forward angrily. The brown cub jumped to his feet and backed behind the white cub.

"I'm sorry Kairi…but, hey, you are pretty cute…right, Riku?" Cerulean eyes looked at the other feline beseechingly.

"Of course she is," Riku agreed smoothly. "You know, I've always thought Hippopotamus' had a feminine appearance. That's probably why you turned into one, Kairi. You are definitely feminine."

"You know, that's not as complementing when spoken by a gay guy, but thanks Riku. I know you meant it." The young hippopotamus looked at Sora and her ears twitched. "I better not get attacked by hyenas or lions or something. How am I supposed to use my wand like this? I better not be useless in a fight again!"

"Don't worry...hyenas and lions don't usually attack hippos here." The lion cub assured quickly. "You aren't any more helpless than you are normally…just hold your wand in your mouth and it should work the same as it does in your hands. The Keyblade works for me that way when I fight here."

Kairi was glaring now. "I shouldn't be _any more helpless_? What is _that _supposed to mean? I help! Who keeps supporting and healing your butt on this trip?"

"Wait…" Riku looked at Sora in restrained amusement. "You fight with the Keyblade in your mouth…even against hyenas and such? Why don't you just use your claws for that?"

"I, uh…I don't know. I never really thought about that." Sora's face scrunched in thought.

"Hey Riku," Kari somehow managed to look mischievous in her new form. "Do you think you'd be able to draw a picture of Sora like this form memory later? Penelo's birthday is coming up, you know."

The tiger cub's lips turned up in a feline grin. "That's a great idea…and I can draw you some diagrams to have a Sora-Cub plushie made at that shop you were telling me about."

"No, you guys…Penelo already teases me about this stuff. I'll never hear the end of that if Selphie sees those, and you know Penelo isn't going to hide them." Sora whined before smiling as evilly as he could in cub form. "I'll tell you what…you keep this between us -and Penelo of course- and I won't tell Hayner all about what you look like here and in Halloween Town."

The calf's eyes widened; "You wouldn't."

"Oh yes, I would." Cerulean eyes turned to meet turquoise mischievously. "And…I'll, uh…I'll…damn it, you really aren't going to care who knows about you being a tiger cub or a fallen angel, are you?"

The tiger cub shook his head. "Mm-hmm; you've got nothing on me…and if Kairi holds her end of the bargain, then it would really just be cruel to tell Hayner about her. So Penelo with just have to do with sketches instead of a plushie…I think I'll frame them for her, it is a gift, after all…"

Kairi giggled as Sora clearly racked his brain for a bargaining chip. "Hey, how do I know you aren't bluffing? Maybe I should tell Leon and Zack all about your other forms and see what happens."

Turquoise eyes met cerulean. "Look at my eyes Sora…I'm not lying. I'll just tell them anyway. Zack always says I'm his little angel and Squall already thinks of me as his kitty in the bedroom, so what are they going to say?"

Kairi's eyes were watering now as she shook with mirth. Sora frowned as well as a cub could. "That's just wrong…ew. Anyway, there's still Atlantica. Do you want them to hear about you being a little storybook mermaid? I'm sure Cloud, Reno, and Cid will have fun with that one too."

Turquoise eyes narrowed and then the tiger cub shrugged. "That will be uncomfortable and embarrassing, but then, I've been mistaken for a girl and hit on how many times now? There's also being royally manipulated several times and having to see Xehanort's body naked…so, it's not like I'm a stranger to humiliation. At least this time I'll be in good company…"

"Ew…I don't even want to ask about that last one." The spiky-haired cub looked slightly ill.

"Good, because I'm not elaborating," replied Riku, also looking disturbed.

"Speaking of elaborating, Riku…you do know Sora is going to give them _every _detail right?" stated Kairi, throwing a wicked glance at the brunette. "The way your scars blended from smooth creamy skin to shiny turquoise scales; the way you had some shimmering silver scales scattered throughout the turquoise ones, the way your hair gets all caught up in the currents and floats around you like gossamer strands of silk; the way you arc and twist under the water… You know, technically, we were all naked the whole time…just staggers the imagination, doesn't it?"

Riku was watching the hippopotamus with a bemused expression as she said all of that in an unusually husky voice. "Are you okay, Kairi?" He turned to look at Sora and the saw that the other cub's knees had given out, and he was pressed to the ground with his eyes wide. "Okay…what am I missing here?"

"Oh, nothing;" The inky eyed girl started at Sora, clearly sharing some sort of unspoken understanding with the boy. "I think we all should just agree to keep the others' forms to ourselves. If Sora wants to tell Penelo about his or you want to tell Leon and Zack about yours; then go ahead, but we shouldn't talk about each other's without permission. Right, Sora?"

The cerulean-eyed cub swallowed thickly. "…R-right. That is a good idea. It w-wouldn't be very nice to embarrass each other anyway. We're best friends, right?"

The tiger cub looked between the lion cub and the hippopotamus calf in puzzlement for a moment. "Okay, on second thought, I don' think I want to know. Deal, though. I won't tell. I am going to tell Zack and Squall about mine, so you can mention in front of them when you visit…but no one else, okay?"

"Okay, that sounds fair," agreed Kairi. "I'll tell Penelo and Selphie about all this, but none of the guys."

Riku nodded and Sora gulped again before nodding as well. "I-I already told Penelo about my forms, and Donald and Goofy obviously know, but maybe we can downplay the cute cub stuff around the others, okay?"

Kairi attempted a grin, but ended up just showing teeth in her new form "Good, we all agree then. Now let's go find your friends here, Sora." She turned, and Riku followed, still looking confused.

The white tiger glanced back. "Sora…aren't you coming?"

"Y-yeah, in a second; I'll catch up."

Riku's confusion grew as he heard Kairi mutter ahead of him.

"Helpless, my ass…"


	231. Ill

_Prompt: Ill_

_Given by: Super Pup_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Zack/Aerith, Leon/Riku, Post-Sephiroth/OC

* * *

_

"What is it Cloud?" Zack asked after the third time he noticed his friend look as though he were considering saying something.

Cloud took a breath. "I was just wondering why you volunteered for this particular patrol."

Violet eyes flicked over to the blonde man before taking in their surroundings once more. "Isn't it obvious? The reason we added this one was that a black-winged man has been repeatedly sighted out here. There's only two people that could be. You and I are the only ones who _should _be doing this. Leon and the others are good, but they can't take on a Hybrid…and Riku shouldn't be anywhere near Genesis or Sephiroth."

Cloud nodded and muttered something that Zack could not make out.

The raven-haired man quirked an eyebrow; "What was that?"

"Nothing;" Cloud was also watching the surrounding area as the two men slowly made their way across the canyon.

"Come on Spiky. We're friends…you can tell me." Zack rolled his eyes when the other man looked hesitant. "Look, it's obviously bothering you or you wouldn't have said anything to begin with. Now out with it."

The blue-eyed man still did not look at his friend as he replied in an almost guilty tone. "I said 'for different reasons'."

The former First Class furrowed his brows. "What does that mean?"

Cloud sighed. "Riku could take Genesis, but Genesis would fuck with the kid's head rather than attack him and who knows what he might tell him? So, while I think Riku is actually the more powerful of the two, I agree that it's a bad idea to let the kid face him."

Zack nodded; "And Sephiroth?"

"The kid won't kill him. He should know better, but he's still clinging to hope. We both know Sephiroth would use or kill Riku if it was to his own benefit. Maybe the kid needs to see what Sephiroth really is so he can be disillusioned." The spiky-haired man sounded both worried and angry.

The raven-haired man turned to look at his friend. "Why do you say he should know better? Riku doesn't have to share your grudge, Cloud. He has just as much reason as you do to think ill of his father, but he doesn't and I'm proud of him for holding his own on this."

"He's seen several people lose their hearts to the darkness. He knows what happens when a heart has been saturated by it." Mako blue eyes met violet. "I know he doesn't have to share my view on Sephiroth, but he doesn't have to share yours either, Zack. Maybe if you stopped telling him about how much his father loved him and still does somewhere inside, he'd see that his father is actually gone."

"Sephiroth is his father, Cloud." Zack's voice took on an unusually hard edge. "He may be different from the Sephiroth we knew and respected, but he's still the same man. I saw how much Riku meant to him…he was willing to risk everything and throw aside all logic against it just to have him. Love like that doesn't just disappear. …And even if it did, what would you have me do, tell Riku his dad is a monster who does not love him and never did? That's not true, and even if it were, that would only hurt Riku."

"He doesn't hold any illusions about his father either." The violet-eyed man sounded sad and almost ashamed as he continued; "Not only has he heard about what Sephiroth's done…but he's seen most of it. He used to have nightmares as a little kid. He was actually seeing what his father was doing. Riku saw Nibleham, Cloud. He knows what Sephiroth did."

The blonde man looked distressed and sighed again. "Even if you were there Zack, you couldn't have done anything about that. How were you going to fight a nightmare? You helped put a stop to what Sephiroth was doing. That stopped the nightmares, right?"

"Yeah…you're right." The raven-haired man took a deep breath, "About that anyway. Riku is intelligent, observant, and far from optimistic. The hope he holds for his father isn't a blind or unwarranted one. He has good reasons for feeling the way he does, and in any case…I don't want Sephiroth near him until I know it's safe."

Cloud's voice returned to that odd concerned and angry tone. "What if I'm right and it never is?"

"Then I keep doing what I'm doing," answered Zack resolutely. "Not only did I give my word to his parents, but I love that kid, Cloud. Anyone that wants to hurt him is going through me first."

The blue-eyed man nodded thoughtfully. "Then they're going through me too. I just wish we knew Riku would go all out if he had to…especially against his father. We both know Sephiroth would go for him if he wanted to…the same for Genesis really, he'd just be more cunning about it than Sephiroth, although..."

"I wouldn't it put is past either not to play fair," the raven-haired man finished his friend's statement. Then both of the ex-SOLDIERs turned to look at each other.

"Where is Riku right now?" questioned Cloud.

"He was going to spend some time with Leon before going home, and then Aerith will be with him." Violet eyes glanced back in the direction of the town, which was scarcely visible from their current location. "Why would either of them suddenly allow themselves to be seen, they're better than that…and why would they be here?"

"Don't get paranoid," stated the spiky-haired man. "They couldn't know we would both leave. Sephiroth would know I would go after him, but he has no reason to assume you would do that again. Genesis would know that you would volunteer, but why would he think I would? Besides, it's not like you can always be with Riku and the kid can take care of himself if he's willing to fight fire with fire."

"I'm not paranoid, but either Sephiroth or Genesis _would _know we'd be the ones to look if they were spotted. I know I can't protect Riku all the time and he doesn't need it, but he should also be aware of any direct threats." After a silent moment, the raven-haired man jerked suddenly as his cell phone started vibrating.

"Who's calling you on a patrol?" asked Cloud.

"No one," Zack smiled slightly as he glanced at the screen of his phone. "Riku just sent me a text message to let me know that everyone's alright because he had a feeling I was worried…damn, I love that kid."

Blonde eyebrows furrowed as the other man began typing in a reply for the boy. "How did he know that? Even when I sense Sephiroth…I can't tell what he's feeling…"

"Ku usually knows where and how I am…not heavy details, but enough for this sort of thing. I'm actually starting to be able to locate him the way you do Sephiroth. I guess its all part of the bonding process." The former colonel shrugged, clearly unperturbed.

"That's good." Cloud rolled his eyes when Zack looked surprised by his reaction. "I think part of his attachment to his father is actually due to the Jenova cells along with their paternal bond. If that attachment can be passed along to you through your S cells and your new relationship, then maybe Riku will stand a chance against Sephiroth."

The spiky haired man looked confused at the torn expression his friend wore. "What?"

"Well, I hate to think I'm somehow taking Riku away from Sephiroth but…" The violet-eyed man smiled slightly, "Like I said, I love that kid. I can't help but be pleased. I guess it's also better for Riku to be attached to someone who can actually be there for him. Between me, Leon, Mickey, Sora, Kairi, Cid, Vincent, Aerith, and you…and even Yuffie and Reno…I think Riku will be okay."

"I think he's helped me more then I've helped him, but you're right," Cloud smiled slightly in return. "He's got one hell of a support group."

"We all do," commented Zack as he continued walking, this time, towards the town.

Cloud nodded before following his friend.


	232. Scholarship

_Prompt: Scholarship_

_Given by: Super Pup_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Zack/Aerith, Leon/Riku, Post-Sephiroth/OC, & Implied Reno/Cloud

* * *

_

Aerith finally stood and walked from the sitting room to the dining room, where she had been watching Zack for several minutes.

The man originally sat down with a cup of coffee and started going through the mail. He smiled brightly upon reading the contents of a formal looking document in a large manila envelope, but slowly the smile had faded, and then the man simply looked torn and aggrieved.

"I haven't seen you look so conflicted in over a decade," commented Aerith as she poured some more coffee into both of their cups and sat on the chair beside Zack. "What's the matter?"

The former SOLDIER smiled softly at her and placed his hand over hers, but the smile was not his usual easy one and his eyes were still deep in thought. "Do you think I'm making the right decisions with Riku?"

Aerith frowned and place her other hand atop of his. "What brought this on?"

The raven-haired man sighed and glanced down at the documents on the table before him. "He's passed every test they've thrown at him with flying colours, and the teachers have even started giving him college level exams instead of the same ones the rest of his classes are getting. I've made the arrangements for him to take the proficiency exam…but then what?"

The violet-eyed man ran a hand through his hair and looked out the window across the room. "Our world is the only one this messed up. If things had gone back to the way they were, as they did everywhere else, then Riku could do whatever he wanted. With his brains, he could get a scholarship to any college on the planet or if he wanted to join a military or mercenary group, he would be welcomed anywhere and would fly up the ranks."

The green-eyed woman nodded and smiled lightly. "The restoration is moving along well here; Ellone, Ward, Laguna, and the others are making huge progress in Esthar; and Vincent and Reeve are already moving their group near Midgar. It will be only a few years at the most before more options start opening up on this world. Riku would want to help with the reconstruction for at least that much longer anyway. He's young…he has plenty of time."

Zack shook his head gently; "But if I had gone to the islands and taken him to the mainland, or taken him to Traverse Town or Twilight Town…he could have a more normal life."

"I'm sorry to say this, Zack, but Riku will never have a normal life and you can't give him one no matter what decisions you make." Aerith rubbed the back of her husband's hand. "At least here people know enough for him not to have to hide."

"Around our friends, he doesn't;" corrected the raven-haired man. "With everyone else, he still has to keep all of the Keybearer stuff a secret as well as his preferences. He also has to deal with hearing people talk about him when they see him on the streets…some don't even try to prevent him from hearing. They notice the resemblance between he and Sephiroth, or they heard rumours about some ability of his or another…things he knows that no one should…he wouldn't have that on a world where no one knew about Sephiroth, or Hojo, or Ansem the Wise, or world's being taken over by Heartless and darkness."

The brunette nodded and looked out the window as well. "He would have the first two problems anywhere you could take him. Only a handful people actually _know _that Sephiroth had a son; the _entire _population does not know all about Hojo; and the rest are all just rumours. Riku is different. People would talk about him and make up stories wherever he was. At least here, he has other people. He would have us either way, but what about Cid and Vincent…Or Leon? Would Leon leave this world behind…even for Riku? It would be a tough call. Riku wouldn't want to put him or anyone in that position."

"Should he though? That's another thing I'm worried about." Zack lowered his head and seemed to be half studying the document on the table. "I know they love each other, but Riku's never even dated or experimented. Leon has promised not to push him or take things too far, but that's all just physical. Their relationship is still very serious even without that. Should I let Riku get this tied to someone at his age? He has only kissed one other person and he's never…but then why would he and Leon do normal stuff that teenage couples do? Leon's a grown man who's already past all of that…but is Riku?"

Aerith moved her hand over her mouth, but she could not hide the signs of mirth on her face, or the muffled chuckle that escaped her lips under her hand.

The violet-eyed man glanced at her and arched an eyebrow. "Uh, Aer, honey, I'm sort of pouring my heart out to you here, and you're laughing at me. That isn't very nice or assuring…aren't you supposed to offer some words of wisdom or something?"

Green eyes were tearing up as Aerith's shoulders shook and broken peals of laughter continued to be muffled by her hand. Finally, she removed her hand and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Zack, I am…and I know this is very serious to you. It's just…Zack, do you think that Sephiroth wouldn't be having these issues if he were here? Do you think these aren't questions that every- Okay, well most of them are probably pretty specific to you and Riku, but honestly, all parents worry about whether they're making the right decisions for their children…especially new parents, and that's sort of what you are. I know you knew and helped to take care of Riku years ago, but you didn't have to make all the tough choices."

Aerith placed her hand over Zack's once again and smiled kindly at him. "You are taking care of Riku as though he was truly yours and you are doing a wonderful job of it. He loves you, he trusts you, he's comfortable with you, and he's happy. You're obviously doing something right."

Zack smiled more easily this time, and leaned over to kiss his wife before running his fingers over her hand, pausing to finger her wedding ring in the process. "I obviously did something else right too. Thanks, Aer. He is happy…isn't he?"

The green-eyed woman nodded; "Yes, and that's because he's here, with you and Leon and the others, where he can do some good and not have to hide everything about himself. Most importantly, he is loved here and he has people that he loves here. As for his future, do you know what he wants to do? Does he?"

The raven-haired man nodded with a smile. "He wants to go into science and healing…like his mother."

"Well that's easy enough," replied Aerith with a deeper smile. "I'll talk to the healers at the facility we're putting together here and see who's up for an apprenticeship program. He can learn from as many of them as are willing to teach. He also has most of his mother's old books and notes…and with his abilities and computer skills, I'm sure he will be revolutionising the way we treat people here before he's the age most people even become healers. He already has a good grasp on the science bit…and I bet he can even get old Dr. Sid to teach him a few things."

"That's perfect. He'll be shocked when I tell him that's going to be an option sooner than he thinks…he didn't believe it would ever happen after everything that's occurred here and to him." The ex-SOLDIER's smile broadened even further; "And I'm not the only one whose starting to sound like a parent here, you know."

The brunette smiled pointedly; "And why shouldn't I? I married you knowing Riku came with the package, and I care about him too you know. You never question Rude's paternal attitude toward Denzel because Tifa had already adopted him when Rude started with her. I knew you had a godson who you adored years ago and I agreed to marry you knowing that you had him now. If you decided that it was best for Riku to move to Twilight Town or wherever, then I'd be there with you too."

"I _really _am doing things right, aren't I?" Zack smiled as he kissed his wife's hand. Then he arched an eyebrow. "So, do you ever want one of your own?"

The green-eyed woman grinned. "Between you, Cloud, Riku, and the others…I think I'm good."

The raven-haired man laughed. "Yeah, you are sort of the den mother of out little family here. I wouldn't be surprised if Tifa and Rude want you to be the godmother of their baby."

Aerith smiled. "They've already decided to ask Cloud and Reno to be the godparents."

Violet eyes widened before the ex-SOLDIER was laughing properly. "Oh man, I am so hitting Cloud with the fairy-godmother jokes once they accept…"


	233. Finesse

_Prompt: Finesse_

_Given by: Super Pup_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Pre-Reno/Cloud & Cloud/Reno

* * *

_

When Cloud stared at the three men before him, irritated by the fact that he had to look up at them so noticeably because they were standing so close, he knew that he was not getting out of this one without a fight.

He was fine with that however; he was a skilled fighter…if he could just get a hold of First Tsurugi before they had time to close in on him…

Suddenly a voice sounded behind him. "What the hell is going on here, yo?"

Cloud did not even bother to turn his head as he heard footsteps approach before Reno was standing beside him, facing the three men with a nearly bored expression on his face. The blonde man was still ready to grab his sword at any moment.

"We were just having a small business disagreement with your friend," commented a man with black, shoulder length hair parted at the side and a rather arrogant voice. He had done all of the talking as far as Cloud had been involved with them.

The redhead arched an eyebrow as icy blue eyes flickered to Cloud briefly before returning their focus to the dark-haired man. He seemed to ignore the presence of the other two men. "Oh, really…? What's the problem?"

"He is refusing to pay what is owed," replied the arrogant man simply.

"You mean I won't the pay the extra you suddenly decided to tack on," interjected Cloud.

Reno scoffed; "I can't believe you'd pull something like that, Vayne."

Cloud was actually surprised that Reno knew the other man's name, and was even more surprised that the man was listening to the Turk. The blonde man had gotten the impression that Vayne fooled himself, as well as others, into thinking that he was actually doing the world good and was just willing to take steps that Leon and the others would not to bring their town back to order and prosperity sooner.

However, Reno clearly was not playing into this fantasy. "Don't you know who this is, yo?"

The raven-haired man eyed Cloud over neutrally. "He's no one; Just a small man with big goals."

Cloud was ready to just get to the fighting right then, but a hand on his arm stilled him as Reno snorted and rolled his eyes easily. "He's a man with friends in high places."

The Turk continued speaking in his usual laidback tones as Vayne eyed Cloud over a little more critically. "You have to have seen who he hangs with. All of the men and women who are basically the leaders around here, who everyone respects and looks to for guidance, are his closest friends."

The redhead patted Cloud on the shoulder. "I happen to know this guy fairly well, and let me tell you now; he makes quick judgments on people, yo. So, that means the way you handle this…disagreement…is going to set his opinion of you. His opinion of you will determine his friends' opinion of you…and the rest of the town, hell, the world for that matter, will all follow their lead like they always do; because when the shit hit's the fan, who are they going to depend on, yo?"

"The way I see it, you have two options," continued the tattooed man with a thoughtful expression. "You can pinch him and get a little extra Munny or services -whatever he's paying you with- now, to help you toward your goal…but then, you're gonna find your business hurting pretty soon. Or you can stick to whatever deal you agreed on to begin with, get what is actually owed you, and then keep doing your thing, yo."

Vayne looked back and forth between Cloud and Reno for a moment before inclining his head regally. "Very well then; perhaps this was simply a misunderstanding. I will accept your offered payment by the end of the week, Strife. Good day."

Mako blue eyes blinked in surprise as the man swept past them, his two associates following in his wake. Then Cloud openly gaped at Reno.

The Turk chuckled and then stepped closer to the blonde man. "You know, you wouldn't have to fight nearly as often as you do if you would just learn to finesse a little, yo."

Cloud regained his composure and answered tetchily. "I don't finesse."

Reno nodded; he was now right beside the blue-eyed man. "Then maybe you should bring along someone who can next time."

The spiky-haired man turned, only then realising just how the Turk was standing to him. He did not back away. "I don't plan on there being a 'next time' and I'm not sure avoiding a fight would be worth whatever you'd want for the help."

"Did you plan on there being a this time, yo?" questioned Reno quietly as he leaned forward slightly, so that he was staring directly into Cloud's eyes; "And I don't always have a price, you know. I _can _just help a buddy out…you just need to learn how to ask."

The ex-SOLDIER looked at the other man sceptically. "I think I know to get help when I need it."

"I didn't say _get_; I said _ask_," commented the redhead with a small smirk. "Like saying, 'hey Reno, will come with me? I need you for something'…or whatever the emo translation of that is. It's the difference between acquaintances and comrades, yo."

Cloud found himself momentarily distracted by just how close Reno was standing to him, as well as the way the nimble man's lips curved as he punctuated the word 'yo'. His retort did not sound as hard as he meant it to; "I don't need an _emo _translation of anything, thanks."

The Turk shook his head slightly; "You're a real handful." Then he surprised Cloud yet again that evening, but turning to walk away.

The redhead had only taken a couple of steps before the spiky-haired man grabbed his wrist. "Hey, Reno…?"

The ex-SOLDIER tugged the Turk back to him. "Will you come with me?" He ignored the other man's surprised expression as he leaned forward to state quietly, "I need you for something…"

Then Cloud captured Reno's mouth in a hard kiss as he wrapped his other arm around the tattooed man's waist to pull the wiry body against his own.

The redhead recovered from the surprise quickly and succumbed to the fierce kiss as he draped his arms over the other man's shoulders while the hand that had been holding his wrist slid up his body to grip the back of his neck.

They parted just enough to breath, and Mako blue met icy blue as Reno smirked before whispering; "All you had to do was ask, yo."

Cloud smirked back before silently leading the Turk back to his place.


	234. Moose

_Prompt: Moose_

_Given by: DanceFloorAnthem27_

_Setting: Chocobo Forest; Radiant Garden, Post-KHII_

_Pairing: None; Implied Leon/Riku & Zack/Aerith

* * *

_

Riku pulled a sweater on as he followed Sora out of the Gummi ship. The spiky-haired boy looked at his friend quizzically as the silver-haired boy pulled his hair out of the sweater to cascade down his back. "I've never seen you wear a sweater before."

"It never got this cold on the islands," replied the silvered adolescent with a shrug.

"I'm not wearing a sweater and I'm not cold…I'm not even wearing long pants," Sora responded smugly as he looked his friend over while indicating his own usual clothes and lack of shivers…something the other boy had not accomplished.

Riku quirked an eyebrow; "Yeah, you're also wearing fairy clothes…"

"Hey," the cerulean-eyed boy narrowed his eyes slightly and then wore a mischievous smirk. "If either of us are a f-"

"Sora, I love you, but if you finish that statement I'm going to have to beat you on principle," interrupted the aqua-eyed boy.

"Why are you beating Sora?" questioned Leon as he and Zack exited the Gummi to join the two adolescents.

"He was about to call me a fairy," Riku answered softly in an affronted tone.

Sora drew his eyebrows in confusion at his friend's hurt tone and the angry and shocked expressions on the two men's faces. "Well you have that ethereal look to you; all you need is some glittery wings an-"

"Wait…" Zack held up a hand to stop the younger male, the resentment fading from his face. "You meant an _actual _fairy…like a pixie?"

Now the teen looked even more confused. "Well yeah, what else would I have meant?"

"Never mind…" Riku murmured before either of the adults could react. "I'm just a bit touchy about that lately…some people have been giving me a hard time. So which direction are we heading?"

"I don't know; where was this monster, or whatever it's supposed to be, coming from?" questioned Sora as he began to wonder away.

The aqua-eyed teen followed him. "I'm not sure. At least with the fresh layer of snow, we might be able to distinguish some tracks."

"Yeah…hey, look over there!" Sora smiled and pointed into a patch of trees ahead.

"I didn't know there were moose here," commented Riku with a soft smile.

"Hey, those creatures are talkin' about us, eh," stated one of the moose.

"Yeah, that's weird…I never heard any of 'em speak before," replied the other.

Sora turned to Riku with a perplexed expression. "Uh, Riku…? The moose are talking."

The silvered adolescent quirked an eyebrow, "And that surprises you? Aren't two of your best friends a talking duck and dog?"

"This isn't exactly the same as Donald and Goofy," pointed out the spiky-haired teen. "Would you compare them to the King?"

"Hey, what are you two doing?" questioned Leon as he walked over to stand behind Riku; gently placing a hand on the boy's hip as he followed their line of sight.

"Don't tell me you've never seen a moose before," said Zack as he joined them as well. "I already heard about your amazement at the Chocobos…you know I really feel like a bad godfather when this stuff surprises you. I should take you and Aerith camping sometime…"

"I know what a moose is, but camping sounds fun," interjected Riku quietly. "We were actually surprised by the fact that these moose talk."

"They what?" questioned Zack as Leon said, "Excuse me?"

"They talk; here, listen to this," Sora turned to face the two moose again. "Hi, I'm Sora, and this is Riku. That's Zack and Leon."

"Hey, I'm Rutt," said one of the moose. "This is my brother, Tuke."

"You new to these parts, eh?" asked Tuke.

"Sort of; we're from a city across the sea," replied Sora. "Well they are, I'm not from around here at all…I'm just visiting my friends."

"Uh, Sora…?" Zack glanced from the named boy, to his godson, to the moose, and then to Leon, who looked rather lost, before returning his gaze to the spiky-haired teen. "Are you talking to the moose?"

"Yeah; Why not…? They seem nice." The blue-eyed boy rubbed the back of his neck.

"Sora, are the moose talking now?" asked Leon as though he were trying to work out something complicated.

Cerulean eyes blinked twice. "Yeah, well, not _right _now, but you just heard them."

Leon and Zack exchanged a worried glance. "No, they made moose noises."

"I heard them too," stated Riku calmly. "The one on the left said his name is Rutt and the other one is his brother..."

"Yeah, and then Tuke -that's the brother's name- asked if we were new around here," agreed Sora, watching the two men as their expressions turned from worried to confused.

Violet-eyes moved from one teenager to the other. "You guys aren't just messing with us, are you?"

"No," Sora said adamantly as Riku shook his head and met his godfather's eyes.

The two men exchanged another confused look. "Maybe it's a Keybearer trait," suggested Zack.

Leon nodded as he stroked Riku's side gently; "Or a purity of heart matter."

"Do you know why they can't understand you?" Riku asked the two moose.

"Well golly, that's not weird or anything," said Rutt.

"Ya, we're more stumped by why you can," added Tuke.

"Oh…maybe it is a Keybearer thing then," said Sora. Riku nodded his agreement.

"Okey dokey then, we're off to get some dew," said Tuke as he and his brother began to turn into the woods.

"Gotta love the dew," added Rutt. "We'll see you guys around, okay?"

"Okay," Sora waved, but Riku suddenly stepped forward.

"Hey, do you know anything about a monster or alien in this forest?"

Rutt turned to look at the humans. "Uh…well I don't know what an elian is, but the new guy is pretty grumpy, eh."

"He's usually hanging out by the mountains," added Tuke. "He's got a pretty _hot_ temper, eh." Both moose continued into the forest laughing and muttering to one another.

Sora and Riku exchanged a thoughtful glance before Riku nodded briefly. "Okay, thanks."

"What did they say?" asked Zack.

"They said there's a new guy in the forest with a grumpy attitude and a bad temper and he's staying near the mountains," replied the spiky-haired boy easily as he linked his fingers behind his neck.

The ex-SOLDIER nodded and then glanced at the other boy before frowning slightly. "You okay, Ku?"

The named boy was looking in the direction the moose had disappeared in, his expressive eyes looked torn and disturbed. Leon stepped behind the teen again and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Riku?"

Riku turned partially to look at the man behind him. "Mickey told me about these moose hunting trips he used to go on with Donald and Goofy…he wanted to start spending some more time with them like that after everything that happened. He said he wanted to take me with them sometime…"

Sora gasped with a horrified expression. "What if you can hear the ones you're hunting talk like that?"

Riku looked at his best friend in discontent. "There's no way I'm ever hunting anything after all that we've seen, but…well, what if the moose _they're _hunting are like those two?"

"Maybe we should tell them," suggested the blue-eyed teen, still looking somewhat bothered. "I doubt they'd keep doing it if they knew what the moose were like."

Leon looked thoughtful for a minute before gazing down at Riku. "Have you heard of any successful hunting trips since you returned from the dark realm?"

The aqua-eyed boy shook his head. Zack suddenly nodded. "Mickey probably could hear them too. The two explanations Leon and I came up with for why you can understand them and we can't are really the only likely ones, and if either of them are true…"

"…Then Mickey would hear them too," said Riku before smiling softly. "You're right."

"I usually am," commented the raven-haired man with a grin; "So no worries then?"

Riku glanced at Sora, who shrugged, and then the silvered adolescent nodded. "Yeah, thanks."

The ex-SOLDIER smiled and Leon offered him a slightly impressed nod as the two teens returned to their usual demeanours. "So, looks like we're heading to the mountains."

"There should be at least the remnants of a footpath that way," Leon commented as he pointed through some trees.

"Well, let's go and see how accurate those moose's information is," stated Zack as he took the lead. Sora followed the ex-SOLDIER, and Leon took up the rear behind Riku.

"Hey," exclaimed Sora a minute into the trees. "Maybe we'll be able to hear the monster talk too."

"Gee, won't that be nice," replied Riku sarcastically. Then, he added pensively; "Although, I guess it's a good thing that killing never seems to get any easier…"

"What are you talking about?" questioned Sora even as Leon and Zack nodded. "It gets easier all the time…we just keep getting stronger and learning new abilities."

Zack glanced at the spiky-haired teen behind him. "I don't think that's what Ku meant, Sora."

"Oh." A moment passed before Sora suddenly spoke again. "_Oh_…sorry Riku; Yeah, you're right."

Leon shook his head, Zack barely suppressed a chuckle, and Riku merely smirked. "Killing isn't the only thing that never gets easier…"

Sora looked confused for a moment before throwing a glare over his shoulder, "Hey! I'm not _that _thick-headed!"

Zack chuckled, Leon smirked, and Riku shook his head as they continued walking.


	235. Stargazer Lily

_Prompt: Stargazer Lily_

_Given by: DanceFloorAnthem27_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Zack/Aerith, Post-Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi), & Implied Leon/Riku_

_Author's note: This story is in fact referencing Flowers, however you do not have to recall or have even read that one to understand it. Thank you for reading and enjoy.

* * *

_

On one of the rare evenings where everyone had been able to go home early, mainly due to weather, Zack was sitting on his and Aerith's bed, looking over some more of Hilargi's research notes and Riku's old test results. The man was clearly trying to find a specific answer, although he would not tell anyone what the question was.

Aerith was sitting on her side of the bed, reading a book on running one's own business that Tifa had recommended when she told her mahogany-eyed friend that she and Zack were opening a floral shop. Occasionally, Zack would interrupt her, when he was not sure what a certain term or test result printout meant and wanted Aerith's opinion as a healer.

Aside form that, it was a rather quiet and pleasant evening.

Then there was a soft knock at the bedroom door.

Zack immediately began gathering his papers and quickly shoving them in the drawer of his bedside table. "Come on in, Ku."

Aerith had to suppress a chuckle. Zack was understandably fearful about Riku finding out too much, especially all at once, but the boy actually seemed completely content to let Zack take over the burden of searching for answers regarding his heritage and probably would not care to read most of those results had the raven-haired man left them in plain view.

She smiled as the silvered adolescent entered the room quietly. Zack's face tended to light up whenever Riku entered the room or a conversation, almost as much as when Aerith did.

"Did you need some help?" asked the ex-SOLDIER as he indicated the book Riku had carried in. The teen was holding it with his arms crossed over the back as the front pressed against his stomach. Neither of the adults could see the title.

Riku looked almost apologetic. "Uh, actually…I wanted to ask Aerith something…"

Zack smiled easily at the turquoise-eyed boy. "You're not going to hurt my feeling by talking to Aer instead of me, Ku. Do you need privacy for this or…?"

"No, no…it's nothing like that." The silver-haired boy smiled softly. "Thanks though."

"Sit down," Aerith smiled warmly as she sat her book aside. "What can I help you with?"

Riku sat at the end of the bed and opened the book, which Aerith noticed was a collection of old poems. He removed a folded piece of parchment paper from between the pages a few centimetres in, and offered the parchment paper to the green-eyed woman.

"I was wondering if you could tell me what that is."

Intrigued, Aerith unfolded the parchment and found a flower pressed inside. It appeared that the flower had been in the book for several months. The florist handled the flower gently as she examined it, for clearly it was of some importance to the boy.

The stem had been cut, but the flower was still a good sixteen inches tall. It was firm and straight, with its bloom facing directly up. The petals were pink, red, and white, and were still sweetly fragrant.

"This is a stargazer lily," commented Aerith as she gently returned the flower to the parchment. "They're a hybrid lily only found on this planet, and this continent to be precise, although I haven't seen one since we returned here. They were created about thirty years ago by a sage here who bred plants as a hobby and for holistic purposes."

Riku nodded as Aerith passed the wrapped flower back to him. "Was there a holistic purpose for this one?"

The green-eyed woman shook her head and smiled. "No, this one he seemed to simply enjoy…it's actually poisonous to felines and some other animals."

The turquoise-eyed boy looked at the flower and the book in his lap as he spoke. "A few weeks after we returned to the islands, someone started leaving flowers at my mother's grave while I was at school. The first day, I just figured it was one of her old co-workers or something…I was actually just pleased that I didn't seem to be the only one who remembered her."

Zack sat a little straighter and Aerith frowned as the boy continued. "The next day, there were flowers again, but they weren't the same as before. The first ones were a different type of lily, these ones…I had never seen them on the islands. My first thought was Sora, and his mother would have been the most likely for the flowers from the previous day, but when I tried to thank them, they had no idea what I was talking about."

"What did you do then?" questioned Aerith.

The silver-haired boy fingered the parchment lightly. "The next day, after I found a bouquet of these on her grave, I went to the local library to see if I could find them as existing anywhere on that world…they didn't. Shortly after is when I realised I was being followed by a presence that I knew, but didn't…if that makes any sense. The presence never showed itself or spoke to me, but it stayed with me until Zack found me in the Midgar ruins after I moved here."

"Sephiroth," stated Zack quietly. Riku nodded his agreement. "So he watched over you until I took over for him. I feel honoured…I didn't realise he was already around again then."

"I was always alone after mom…even after I first moved here. Squall actually went out of his way to talk to me and include sometimes," Riku smiled softly. "I guess that might have been for more reasons than one though…and then you came along too. I think he just saw that I was in good hands, that I wasn't alone anymore…and he has his own problems to take care of..."

The violet-eyed man nodded solemnly, and then his usual smile returned. "Were all the flowers lilies?" Riku nodded with a somewhat surprised expression. Zack chuckled softly. "Hilargi was a sucker for lilies; they were her favourite flowers. Sephiroth must have remembered that…he could be surprisingly romantic when it came to her. I bet he left those particular ones more often than not…even more than her favourite type, right?"

The turquoise-eyed boy nodded again. "How did you know that?"

"Because that's _your _flower," replied Zack with a fond grin as he reached forward to brush Riku's bangs aside. "…'A beautiful and strong, but still delicate hybrid that always looked to the stars and had a quick growth rate but needed workable earth to flourish'. Sephiroth never directly said it, but I could tell he loved it when Hilargi decided that they were yours. When you were born, I figured Seph would get her favourites -which he did- so I got her a bouquet of those because they were lilies too and I thought they looked cool. Of course, Hilargi being Hilargi, had to find out what they were and all that, and then she thought they were perfect for you."

"That's so sweet." Aerith laid a hand over the one with which Zack was supporting himself. Then the green-eyed woman frowned slightly. "I wonder where Sephiroth got them from…as I said, I haven't seen any in the areas they used to grow since we returned and they would only exist here."

"I've seen some, on this world…just not in the city here," commented Riku, his eyes slowly moving away from Zack to glance at Aerith before looking at the flower in his lap again. "There's some growing past the castle ruins."

"Really?" Aerith smiled at the boy. "Would you mind if I gathered some bulbs so I can start growing them here? It would be nice to return some to the city."

The silvered adolescent smiled softly once more. "Yeah, that would be nice…"

"Hey," Zack's enthusiasm level was clearly rising as he spoke with a broad smile. "Why don't Riku and I go and get those bulbs for you this weekend? He knows where they are and you've shown both of us how to transplant them without damaging them."

"Okay," the green-eyed woman squeezed her husband's hand. "Thank you."

Zack simply smiled and kissed her cheek while Riku shrugged off the gratitude and stated that it was no problem. Then the ex-SOLDIER grabbed Riku and pulled the boy closer to him, snatching his book in the process and promptly teasing him about the poetry before seriously asking him questions about the book. The boy had retorted with the teasing in kind, despite the flush that graced his cheeks, and then quietly replied to all of his godfather's questions and comments.

Aerith picked up her book again once the two males were focused on their conversation. She smiled as she took one more glance at them before she returned to her reading.

She had always enjoyed seeing things bloom.


	236. Lucky Charms

_Prompt: Lucky Charms_

_Given by: DanceFloorAnthem27_

_Setting: Destiny Islands; Pre-KH_

_Pairings: None; Implied OC/OC (Sora's parents) & Post-Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi)

* * *

_

Mrs. Hiruma got up earlier than usual, as Sora's best friend had spent the night for the first time the previous evening. Normally, she would not allow sleepovers on a school night, but Ms. Akeru had taken ill and needed to be in the hospital for a few days, so she had volunteered to let the child stay at her house.

Thus far, the boy had been very well behaved and quite unobtrusive. He and Sora occupied themselves very well, so if anything, it was easier than chasing her son around the house as she usually did. Mrs. Hiruma just hoped that Riku was easier to wake up and get ready than Sora. She still decided an earlier start than usual would be a good idea.

She was shocked to find the silver-haired boy not only awake, but also showered, dressed, and groomed, as he worked quietly at Sora's desk while the room's owner snored softly from a bundle of limbs and blankets on his bed. The swivel chair squeaked as the child turned to gaze at her quizzically, his odd plushie sitting beside him in the chair.

"Riku…what are you doing awake?"

The aqua-eyed boy shrugged. "I couldn't sleep."

"Oh, I'm sorry dear…is your cot comfortable enough?" She doubted the cot was the trouble.

The silvered child nodded as he returned to his work. "It was fine, thank you."

Mrs. Hiruma took a few steps closer to the desk to see what the child was working on; it appeared to be some sort of story told through a series of drawings. She did not recognise any of the people, but the boy certainly had talent. "What is all of this…A project for school? I thought you did all of your homework yesterday…Sora didn't distract you with all of his questions, did he?"

Hoary locks swayed as the child shook his head adamantly. "No, I did my homework first. This isn't for school…it's for my mom."

"Oh," Mrs. Hiruma smiled. "That's very nice of you. I'm sure she'll like these. They'll brighten up her room too…the hospital here is great, but the rooms get a little dull after a day with nothing to distract yourself with."

Again, the boy nodded. "I don't like the rooms at the hospital either."

The blue-eyed woman nodded and then turned to her own little bundle of joy…and her morning 'workout'. "Sora, sweetie…it's time to get up…" The bundle continued to snore. "_Good morning to you, good morning to you…_" Mrs. Hiruma stopped signing and had to chuckle at the odd look Riku was casting in her direction. "Sora doesn't rise and shine easily."

The aqua-eyed child nodded and replied almost apologetically; "He is pretty lazy."

Mrs. Hiruma chuckled again. "Yes, he is." Then she returned her attention to her son, shaking his limp form firmly. "Sora, you need to get up now if you want time for breakfast before school…"

Fifteen minutes later, she led an energetic Sora and an amused Riku to the kitchen for breakfast, their beloved plushies in tow. "Alright, what do you boys want this morning?"

Sora was the first (and only) to call out an answer, "Lucky Charms!"

With another chuckle, Mrs. Hiruma took the box of desired cereal from the cupboard while glancing over her shoulder. "Riku, is that alright for you too?"

The boy shrugged. "I guess…what is it?"

Sora released a gasp. "You've never had Lucky Charms...But they're magically delicious!" He pointed to the box his mother had just placed on the table as she turned to the refrigerator to fetch the milk.

The blue-eyed woman was surprised when the hoary-haired boy picked up the box and turned it to glance at the nutrition facts. "Oh, that's why…my mom never gets _anything _with this much sugar."

While her own son released a scandalised gasp, Mrs. Hiruma quickly scanned the note on her refrigerator that Mrs. Akeru had given her when she dropped off Riku. It requested that caffeine, oysters, and red meat be avoided. Aside from that, it had her room number and the hospitals phone number written down, another phone number to be called in case of dire emergency only, and a letter allowing Mrs. Hiruma to have Riku treated for any injury or illness. In such a case, there were also instructions for the physicians on which treatments and medications they could not use on her son. There was nothing about limiting Riku's sugar intake.

"Why does your mom do that?" questioned Sora, still sounding scandalised. "That's just mean!"

"My mom is not mean!" Riku said lowly and surprisingly ardently for a child so young.

"Of course not," interjected Mrs. Hiruma. "Some people just don't like or can't have a lot of sugar, Sora…and some people think it's better for small children not to have a lot of sweets, while others think it's better to let them have sweets while they're young."

"Oh…I'm glad you're one of those," commented Sora. The blue-eyed woman cleared her throat and shot her son a meaningful look before indicating his best friend. "Oh…sorry Riku; You're mom's nice."

"That's okay…I'm sorry too." Mrs. Hiruma blinked at Riku's sincere response. She had not expected that to be so easy.

"You should still try the cereal," stated the cerulean-eyed boy. "It's good." Riku merely nodded.

Now Mrs Hiruma had a decision to make. The blue-eyed woman knew that Mrs. Akeru had to eat healthy due to her own condition, she wondered if she simply had her son follow the same diet for convenience or simply because it was healthy. Then again, perhaps the reason why Riku was not as hyperactive as Sora was that he never ate as much sugar as the spiky-haired boy consumed.

_Oh well, you only have one childhood._

Mrs. Hiruma returned to the table with bowls and spoons. "Well, why don't you try some and if you don't like it, then I'll fix you something else, okay?"

"Okay," Riku smiled as Sora began telling him which marshmallows were the best while his mother poured their breakfasts.

Unlike Sora, who tried to get as many marshmallows onto his spoon as possible, Riku simply took a small spoonful of the cereal, sniffed it, and then ate it experimentally. Mrs. Hiruma smiled; "So what's he verdict?"

"It's good," answered the child simply as he took another spoonful.

"See? I told you," Sora smiled as he ate his own cereal as though he were starving.

Sometimes, Mrs. Hiruma could not help but wonder how the two of them got on so well.


	237. Needles

_Prompt: Needles_

_Given by: Nyah-Chan_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Leon/Riku; Post-Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi)

* * *

_

Leon awoke feeling tightness around one arm, but otherwise felt better than he knew he should. He attempted to shift his arm and felt a cool hand touch his shoulder before Riku spoke softly, "Don't move for a minute…we're almost done."

The sable-haired man opened his eyes and saw the boy taking some sort of medication into a syringe, clearly measuring the dose carefully before tapping it and pressing out a few drops. There was a small band tied around Leon's left arm. "This will sting for a second, okay?"

Leon nodded, watching the turquoise-eyed boy in fascination. The boy's shoulders tensed and there was a slightly disturbed tint to his eyes as he pierced Leon's skin with the needle, however confidence and knowledge were also shining in his eyes and his smooth motions clearly showed that he had performed these actions in the past, probably multiple times.

The disturbed tint and tension grew slightly until the needle was removed from the scarred man's arm and disposed of properly. It almost reminded Leon of the slightly fearful and tense reaction that one had to watch closely to catch whenever Riku was near fire…only this looked more resentful than frightened.

The steel-eyed man took a moment to look himself over as the boy gathered some materials used to clean wounds the old-fashioned way. Leon found that he was only wearing his underwear, and there was not any sign of injury on him, nor did he feel sore in the least. "You healed me?" It was more of a statement that he wanted confirmation on than a question.

Riku nodded as he crawled onto the bed and sat facing Leon. The Gunblade wielder arched an eyebrow, "Then what was that?" He indicated the bandage the silvered adolescent had placed over the location of the shot he had just administered.

"That spell is powerful for healing, but it doesn't do anything against infection or tetanus. Few healing spells do actually…you might want to keep that in mind next time and send in someone who knows more about structures before entering one that was believed to be unstable." The silver-haired teen punctuated this with a small smirk.

Leon smirked back. "Okay…next time I'll have someone else check the foundation…happy?" The turquoise-eyed boy smiled softly as he nodded once again. Leon smiled in return. "Okay, then. Now that that's settled, where did you learn how to do all of this?" He indicated his arm and all of the dressings and various evidence of treatment.

"My mom taught me how to treat wounds just in case I ever got in trouble when I was too far from help," explained the silvered adolescent easily. Then his eyes gave away a hint of nervousness, sorrow, and remorse. "I used to help treat my mother when I got older…after her condition got worse…she had to have injections."

The scarred man nodded, then he took Riku's hand and pulled the boy until he moved to sit beside him rather than fall face-first into him. Once the adolescent was settled, Leon wrapped one arm around him. "Is that why you don't like needles?"

Riku turned his face away slightly and Leon frowned as he stroked the boy's upper arm. "…That isn't it?"

"It's part of it…" Turquoise eyes glanced up to meet steel blue.

Leon's eyes widened slightly. "…The tests." The steel-eyed man wondered why he had never questioned what the boy had been told about them before, or how much he remembered of those experiences.

The silvered teen nodded. "I loathed those; I felt sick for days and sometimes weeks afterwards. I didn't want to make too big of a deal about it around my mom, but I really started to hate needles. Eventually I didn't have to have so many, but then later…when she started getting worse…I knew that she needed the injections, but seeing her bruised and scarred up…I just despised them after that."

"Did she ever give you a reason for the tests?" The scarred man would have hated not knowing why something like that had to be done to him…especially by his only parent.

The turquoise-eyed boy placed a hand on Leon's, as though to assure him. "No…she never explained anything; the tests, my father, the secrecy about everything…but that was better than lying to me."

Leon quickly thought of Zack's fear that having the truth come down on the boy would break him as it had it father. He subconsciously pulled the teen closer. "…It was better that you knew the truth was being kept from you than learn one day that it was _and _that everything else was a lie."

Riku leaned his head against his boyfriend's shoulder and rubbed the hand over his arm. "You know you don't have to worry about me like Zack does, right? It's not the same for me as it was for my dad…and anyway, I'm not him. I wouldn't react the same way at all..."

Steel blue eyes closed tightly. Leon understood why Zack, Vincent, and Mickey did not want to tell the boy all that they had uncovered regarding him, but he hated to keep the adolescent in the dark and always feared that he would be better prepared if they actually told him. Of course, he did not know all of it either.

The silvered teen turned his head to nuzzle the scarred man's neck. When the Gunblade wielder leaned into him, he spoke softly while tracing light patterns over his hand. "Didn't I just say that I preferred to know that things were being kept from me than to be lied to? I've also said before, that I didn't want to know everything you guys found out about me, unless it was something you each agreed I should know…so why are you worried?"

Leon smirked and glanced down at the turquoise-eyed boy. "I thought you were supposed to be the easily read one in this relationship?"

The teenager smirked back. "I'm only an open book to anyone who can look into my eyes…but you can read my emotions pretty well without even doing that. You're hard to read only if someone isn't familiar with your language…I guess I've been around long enough to become fluent in Squall."

The scarred man smiled, that thought being more enjoyable than he would have ever guessed. "I suppose that means I've picked up Riku as a language too…"

"Well you are the first to guess that I have a problem with needles…," commented the boy with a soft smile of his own.

Leon's smile grew slightly. "What about your fear of fire?"

The silvered adolescent smirked again slightly. "Sorry, there's one person who beat you to that one…"

"...Sora?" The steel-eyed man frowned slightly when the boy shook his head. "...Your mother?"

"No…" Riku grinned. "Remember how you forgot about me for a while after Sora woke up...?"

Now Leon frowned notably. "…Yeah…I still haven't figured out how that happened."

The turquoise-eyed boy smiled gently and began caressing Leon's hand between both of his own. "Long story short; Naminé had to make sure it wasn't obvious that everyone forgot Sora for so long from the get go. Therefore, everyone had to forget what would have made them think of him during that time. That way, you didn't remember him after a year of nothing, but suddenly remembered him like a friend you just have not thought of in a while. If all of you hadn't been together here and mentioned it, you probably wouldn't have noticed it as odd…no one else seemed to…"

The Gunblade wielder nodded slowly. "That makes as much sense as any of the rest of that memory business does. So what does this have to do with someone figuring out you're afraid of fire?"

The adolescent grinned again. "Well, I made a friend who _really _liked fire, so he noticed pretty quickly that I didn't…"


	238. Moonlight

_Prompt: Moonlight_

_Given by: Nyah-Chan_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Leon/Riku, Implied Post-Sephiroth/OC_

_Author's note: Er, all I can say is that this started as a drabble (or as close to one as I can accomplish) and then evolved into this little oddity…however, I like it. I hope you do as well. Thank you for reading.

* * *

_

Leon could understand why many believed that Riku did belong to the dark realm, where it seemed to be night always, for the boy certainly did look like he belonged in the moonlight. With the surrounding darkness, the soft glow of the moon enhanced the boy's silver hair, fair skin, and bright eyes until he seemed to posses an ethereal glow and truly appeared to be the angelic being that was in his blood. Combined with the boy's mastery of the shadows, one could definitely think the child was a possession of the darkness.

However, there were still those who disagreed with this, and believed that Riku belonged in the realm of light. Leon could understand this perspective as well, for the sunlight added some colour to the boy's fair skin and make his eyes shine when they were actually visible. While it tended to make his hair look more grey or white than silver at times, he still looked younger somehow in the daylight. Most importantly, he looked more human. His lowered head, slightly hunched shoulders, and downcast eyes also seemed to suggest that the light subjugated the boy.

Leon himself believed neither of these ideas, and a brief conversation with Mickey had been all he needed to believe in his own theory. There was a reason that Riku had created his own path, between the light and the darkness. As true as the points anyone could make about the light and the darkness were, Riku clearly was a child of twilight. Where the soft tones managed to blend warm and cool hues perfectly while never ceasing in their shifting and melding until the light and dark transformed from one to the other and then back again, in a never-ending journey.

In the twilight, Riku lost the onus he carried in the day, but did not yet carry his burdens of the night. Bright eyes looked up through silver hair without hesitation, and salmon-coloured lips turned into a soft smile that stayed longer than any other time of the day or evening. In that brief time of the in-between, Leon did not see an angel or a master of shadows; a child or a warrior of light; in that time, he only saw Riku. He could also see exactly why he was the Keyblade's chosen wielder; why he was Sora's best friend; why he was Ansem the Wise's final apprentice; and why he was the person Leon loved the most in any world.

Leon saw that Riku was brave, powerful, wise, loyal, caring, loving, beautiful…and Leon was going to make sure the boy saw that himself, be it in the moonlight, daylight, twilight, candlelight, or any other; because in any light, Riku was all those things and more to Leon; Riku was his and he loved him. He was going to make the boy see that as well. Then maybe Riku would not hide his eyes in the daylight and his heart in the moonlight.

Then maybe they could just be Squall and Riku together and the rest would fall into place as twilight descends into night and day. Leon was not a coward, it was time he tried…and for Riku, he would.


	239. Licorice

_Prompt: Licorice_

_Given by: Nyah-Chan_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Zack/Aerith, Leon/Riku, Cid/Shera, & Post-Sephioth/OC (Hilargi)

* * *

_

Cid and Leon had just finished looking over and approving the schedules for the next week's projects in the steel-eyed man's study when they heard a knock at the door, followed by Enkeli barking happily and the soft thuds of the young canine bouncing across the living room.

"Riku must be getting the door," commented Leon as both men stood and began gathering the various paperwork and notes they had spread around the room while working.

As the two men entered the hallway, they could hear Yuffie talking and Zack laughing. They entered the sitting room to find their two raven-haired friends placing several small boxes on the coffee table.

"Cid, Squall, you guys are here too! That's perfect!" stated the hyperactive woman as Zack sat down in one of the armchairs.

Leon glanced at Riku, who was sitting on the sofa and stroking Enkeli beside him. The teen shrugged. "Perfect for what?" asked Cid as he put out his cigarette.

"We were coming here after we finished our patrol -by the way, Zack's a lot more fun to patrol with than any of you- and we bumped into Scrooge. He just finished some new batches of liquorice for the candy shop he opened and wants us to try them and have some of our friends try them and let him know which are good and which aren't." Yuffie continued smiling as she plopped down into the other armchair after announcing all of this.

"Okay, well I'll take one of each to go," replied Cid after a moment to process everything the petite ninja had just said. "Shera loves liquorice so I'll let her do the tasting and tell you the verdict."

"Okay!" The brown-eyed woman immediately began opening each of the boxes while Riku stood and headed toward the kitchen, stating that he would get a bag for Cid to carry the candy home in.

"Why are they all different colours?" questioned Leon when saw Yuffie taking a few strips of brightly coloured liquorice out of each box, as well as a couple traditional looking black pieces.

"They're different flavours, that's why we have to try them all and let him know which are good," explained Zack.

Cid scratched his chin as he noted the blue, brown, and green pieces of candy, as well as the slightly less odd looking red, pinks, violet, orange, and yellow. "Have you tried any yet?"

The violet-eyed man grinned. "No, we figured it'd be more entertaining to try them all with you guys."

"There really isn't much point in me trying them," commented Riku as he entered the room with a small white paper bag. "I've never liked liquorice.

The ex-SOLDIER turned to the boy in interest. "Really…? That's one of the few sweets Sephiroth seemed to really enjoy…Hilargi seemed to like the little fancy ones too."

"Yeah, she always had a jar of those in her office," commented the silvered adolescent as he returned to the sofa. Leon sat beside him and Enkeli immediately pushed the boy closer to the scarred man as he squeezed between Riku and the Sofa's armrest.

"Was it a red glass one with a lid?" questioned Zack. He smiled when the boy nodded. "She had that in her office here too, and it was always filled with those things. I think that's how Sephiroth got hooked on liquorice when they started working together."

"I'm gonna take these to Shera; enjoy your trip down memory lane, Puppy." With a wave and a snort at Zack's irked expression, Cid left the house with Riku and Yuffie calling their farewells to him.

"It's your own fault," stated Leon as he reached over Riku's lap to scratch Enkeli's head while draping the other arm over the teen's shoulders. "You never should have told him that story about Angeal."

"I wasn't telling _him _the story, I was telling Ku and he just happened to be there." The raven-haired man turned to his godson with a grin. "Anyway, you can just not try the one with licorice in it then, you might like some of the others."

A silver eyebrow arched questioningly. "How can you have liquorice that doesn't have licorice in it?"

Zack indicated the now-opened boxes of different coloured twists of candy. "They have the same texture and design, but they're made with other flavourings for people like you who don't like licorice."

"Why do they even call it liquorice then?" asked Riku as he leaned into Leon slightly and petted Enkeli. "Why don't they give it its own name?"

"Because people already relate this style of candy to liquorice…I don't know. You're a kid, its candy; I really shouldn't have to talk you into eating it. Yuffie's what, nearly five years older than you are? …And she didn't have to be told twice." Zack indicated the hyperactive woman on the other chair. "Look, she's already had three pieces while we've been talking."

Steel and turquoise eyes both turned to look at the petite ninja, who sure enough, had a dark pink liquorice whip dangling from her mouth and a light pink one in her hand, which had clearly been bitten into already. Brown eyes blinked when she noticed al the others looking at her. Her voice was slightly muffled as she asked, "What?"

The three males turned their attention back to each other. "Okay, so what flavours are all of these?" questioned Riku.

Zack smiled at his godson as he began pointing to different groups of the candy. "There's licorice, which you'll want to avoid, cherry, strawberry, watermelon, root beer, chocolate, blueberry, apple, lemon, orange, tropical punch, and coconut."

"The watermelon's really good, and the strawberry and cherry are good too," added Yuffie.

Leon smirked and shook his head as Zack grabbed a root beer-flavoured liquorice whip while he continued to watch Riku, who merely shrugged and grabbed a couple pieces of the bright candy as well. He handed Leon a blueberry-flavoured piece and tried a cherry one himself…

The next day, Zack handed Scrooge a note of several different opinions on each flavour of the liquorice (although one never tried the licorice flavour), and the quad-zillionaire was very happy with the mixed results.


	240. Rebirth

_Prompt: Rebirth_

_Given by: Ibeyla the Zodian_

_Setting: Radiant Garden/Dark Realm/Radiant Garden/Unknown/Radiant Garden/Traverse Town; Pre-CoM_

_Pairings: Implied Zack/Aerith, Pre-Leon/Riku, Post-Sephiroth/OC_

_Author's note: This is a follow-up to Zack. Thank you to Anne3448 for suggesting one. I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

_

Cloud walked along the remains of the castle foyer and glanced out the windows. He could not believe Squall -no, Leon- was already making plans to reconstruct their old home. It seemed like a lost cause to Cloud…but perhaps that was only because he was one.

While the blonde man was pleased to see most of his friends again, those who were closest to him were gone, and he knew he was responsible for those loses. He felt as though he did not belong here, happy with his remaining friends in their old home…he did not feel he deserved that.

Mako blue eyes glanced up to the sky, where instead of seeing stars fade out as they had been the last time he was on this world, he saw new stars appearing as the last of the lost worlds returned.

Suddenly, he fell to his knees as he felt something pressing in his chest and in his mind. After a moment, the feeling settled, but he had a familiar and unsettling feeling in the back of his psyche. However, his chest felt oddly lighter…lighter than he had felt in a very long time.

Ever since…

"But, I let you down. I saw you disappear." Cloud stood slowly as he returned his gaze to the sky to see more stars come alive. "Zack…"

* * *

Aerith smiled serenely as she watched Yuffie bouncing on her heels while she asked Cid about twenty questions per minute about the computer he was building. The green-eyed woman continued smiling softly as she looked around Merlin's house, which had become the unofficial headquarters for their group.

She was proud of Leon for not letting the past hold him down and of Cloud for returning home and facing everyone, and she was happy that so many of her friends were together again. Aerith wondered how many more of their friends would also find their way back home…she hoped that Tifa and Ellone were all right; Cloud and Leon still needed them.

She still missed Zack terribly, but she knew that he would always be with her and she would never forget him. He would be happy, she thought…their friends' happiness had always meant so much to both of them.

She quickly and abruptly turned to the window as the smile on her face grew. Everything the darkness had taken, but never truly claimed, was being returned. Sora and Riku must have been successful…she would have to thank those children later.

"Zack…" She placed her hands over her heart. "Welcome home, Zack."

* * *

Riku continued battling Heartless in the darkness as he had since he and Mickey had closed themselves in the dark realm. The fifteen-year-old guessed that they had been there for only a handful of days, yet it felt like much longer.

The silver-haired boy did not regret staying behind, in fact, he felt he deserved it after the foolish decisions he had made previously. He was simply pleased that his friends were safe and home, and that they had been able to set things right with the worlds in the end…but that did not mean that he did not intend to return home one day as well.

Thoughts of home drifted through his mind, until the boy suddenly felt something in his heart. It wasn't cold like the darkness he had been forced onto him, or painful like the unnatural presence that had settled within him…it felt more like a piece of his heart had been returned.

Riku closed his eyes and laid a hand over his heart, as he recalled a time when he felt like a part of him had been taken away with no reason to feel such a way that he knew of. His eyes opened to discover that he had summoned a barrier of light around himself in the shape of a heart…He could barely make out the king smiling in the sudden light.

"Zackary…" He spoke slowly as the oddly familiar name entered his mind. "I'll find you…but there's something else I have to do first…"

* * *

Sephiroth had just returned to Radiant Garden, following a familiar presence that he could not be rid of, when suddenly several more presences joined it in his mind…and two in his heart as well. The silvered man turned his head slightly in thought; he was still surprised that the unused muscle had not succumbed to atrophy.

He could sense that one of the presences was the child he had heard crying years before, when his old friend was lost, however, the boy had learned how to close himself off since then…Sephiroth felt a strange sort of pride at this.

Then the winged man realised who each of the presences were and smirked slightly; each of the key characters had entered the stage.

Sea green eyed narrowed as they gazed upwards. "Zackary…why would you return now? You have already failed him."

* * *

Angeal did not question his return, nor did he question the return of the others he felt connected to. He was pleased that his old friends were given another chance, but he knew one would only waste it and was unsure about another.

White hair still marred his raven locks, and the white wing over his shoulder seemed to be missing several feathers…he knew they each been returned in the same condition they had departed in. However, he did not feel that mattered very much, for he knew his role in the coming events was strictly one of guidance.

One presence in particular, he was glad had been returned. It was worth it to have to pick up the old fight for that rebirth alone.

"Old plans are put into action again, Zack." He smiled slightly as midnight-blue eyes turned to the stars. "This time you shall be the mentor, Puppy. Just follow your heart…you'll do fine."

* * *

Genesis stretched an ebony wing and flicked claret hair out of his eyes as he turned his gaze skyward. He vaguely wondered whether their returned was due to the angel's cells, or simply a part of the returning worlds.

In either case, he was back and so was his prey. He also wondered how much trouble one of the other presences, which was closely tied to the boy, was going to cause him…he doubted his old friend's protégée would be aware of what was to come.

Still, the younger man had caused trouble in the past…he would certainly try to intervene. With that in mind, Genesis began working on a variation in his plans.

A slight smirk graced the claret-haired man's lips. "There is nothing you can do now…the bond has weakened."

* * *

Vincent awoke after sleeping for far too long. He could have sworn he heard Lucrecia again, but she had not spoken to him in decades. Crimson eyes turned to the room's small window.

She had not vanished with any world; she could not return as others could. However, her presence was not entirely gone either…and something was stirring her.

The raven-haired man briefly thought of silver hair, but she had not cared for Sephiroth…she had even longed for his death in the end.

Then a sudden thought occurred to him, as though another were whispering it aloud.

_He had a child…**her **grandchild…

* * *

_

Zack suddenly _felt_ again…everything; both physical and emotional. He was no longer part of the nothing he had been for so long. The fine strands tying his heart and mind to others had grown stronger, brighter.

…And suddenly he knew his time had come. He was back; he was alive, and he was needed.

His friends were waiting for him.

…_**But, I let you down. I saw you disappear…Zack… **Cloud…guilt…_

…_**Zack…Welcome home, Zack… **Aerith…patience…_

…_**Zackary…I'll find you…but there's something else I have to do first… **Riku…hope…_

…_**Zackary…why would you return now? You have already failed him… **Sephiroth…despair..._

…_**Old plans are put into action again, Zack…This time you shall be the mentor, Puppy. Just follow your heart…you'll do fine… **Angeal…guidance…_

…_**There is nothing you can do now…the bond has weakened… **Genesis…manipulation…_

…_I promised I would protect him…I promised I would return to her…_

…_And I will._

Zack smiled as violet eyes took in his surroundings...he was going home.


	241. Lost

_Prompt: Lost_

_Given by: Ibeyla the Zodian_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Leon/Riku, Zack/Aerith, Sora/Penelo, Mickey/Minnie, Donald/Daisy, Implied Post-Sephiroth/OC_

_Author's note: This takes place after the 'Traitor' arc, but should be clear for those who did not read or simply do not recall those stories. Enjoy and thank you for reading.

* * *

_

Zack paused as he entered his house when he heard a static-muffled chuckle come from Riku's bedroom. He recognised the voice as Sora's immediately; however, he had not heard either of the teens laughing together ever since the recent incident during one of their Heartless missions.

The violet-eyed man headed toward the room as he shrugged off his coat, and heard Sora's voice continue to issue from the silver-haired boy's radio. Sora was clearly still amused. "I can't believe I went there with Kairi's good luck charm and that weird crystal of Penelo's and didn't lose either…but _you_-"

As Zack peeked through the cracked open door, vaguely wondering why Riku never seemed to close it completely, he saw his godson pacing the room with a thoughtful expression on his downcast face. The boy usually used headphones when he spoke on his radio. Zack wondered if he was not now as an act of caution after his friend's recent behaviour or if the boy was simply too worked up over whatever was bothering him to sit at his desk. He supposed there was also the possibility that he simply longed for motion after having to take it easy for several days while his recent injuries healed.

"Sora, this isn't funny…" Riku murmured as he continued to pace, clearly bothered by something. "Do you recall seeing it on me when…you know…?"

All signs of mirth and teasing instantly fell from Sora's voice. "I- I don't- Wait- _That's _what fell when the Keyblade disappeared…I wasn't really paying attention to it, but I remember something shiny and heavy falling with all the blo-"

Zack considered making his presence known during the heavy silence that followed that unfinished statement, as Riku seemed too lost in thought to have noticed him yet. However, he had a feeling he should not disrupt the two boys for a little longer. Sora spoke again before he had fully made his decision.

"What if I go back and look for it? I can-"

"No, Sora. I'll go," Riku interrupted calmly, but his friend stopped speaking at once as though he had snapped. "You can't go back there on your own…we still don't know what exactly made you attack me…"

"I'm not going alone and I'm not going to attack anyone here; they don't have anything to do with the darkness; I-" Sora's voice had started firm and somewhat heated, but quickly turned frustrated and remorseful. "Uh, shit…Riku; that came out wrong."

"Yes, it did." Zack had already stepped into the room as Riku sat on his bed dispassionately. "I'm not saying you're a bad person or anything like that Sora, but do not try to justify your actions by suggesting that Riku was in any way at fault for what happened…and don't you dare imply that he deserved it."

The unseen glare was evident in Sora's tone; "I wasn't!"

Riku looked up to catch Zack's eyes before the man could respond. "Zack…" Respect, love, understanding and gratitude clashed with grief, nervousness, shock, and remorse in the boy's expressive gaze.

The raven-haired man took in the emotions in those telling eyes and then sighed and placed a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder. "Okay, I'll stop here, but what I said still stands and neither of you are going anywhere alone, alright?"

"I wouldn't be going _alone_," Sora interjected, "I'm sure Goofy will come with me, and probably Donald too…if Daisy lets him. The king might even want to come once he hears why I'm going…Riku really means a lot to him."

Riku turned his face toward the radio's microphone. "Don't bother Mickey with this; he has much more important matters to attend to…and he deserves to finally spend some time with Minnie."

Zack looked down at the silvered adolescent for a few seconds until turquoise eyes rose to meet his once again. "What is this about anyway?"

The touch of guilt that had been present in Riku's eyes increased. "I lost Griever…"

"Griever…?" The ex-SOLDIER furrowed his brows; "That flame-lion thing that Leon likes to decorate his clothes and weapons with?"

"Yeah, but we're talking about the pendant in particular," offered Sora through the radio. "I've never seen Leon not wearing it…well, except for the couple of times I've seen it on Riku."

"Squall put it on me for luck when I left…he's done it a couple times before, when he was worried about me," the silver-haired boy explained. "I don't know where it came from, but it means a lot to him…"

"Yeah, I know it does;" agreed Zack as he sat on the bed as well and looked at Riku with concern and a touch of pity; "But he put it on you…for luck?"

The teenager nodded slightly. "That what he says, but I think it's actually his way of marking me as his or something when he knows he won't be around during trouble. I like it though; it's nice having something of him with me when he isn't." After a brief moment of silence, the turquoise-eyed boy flushed slightly and glanced down at the duvet, clearly realising what he had just said.

Zack grinned as he tilted the boy's face up to look at him again. "I think you're right about him marking you; while I can't say I'm thrilled about it, I definitely understand it and your reaction to it. …But don't you see why he uses that to mark you as his? No one knows the story behind that thing, but everyone knows that he's always worn it and even decorated his Gunblade and jacket with the same symbol; the fact that he would take it off only to put it on you shows that, while it is clearly very important to him, you still mean more."

"You know, he has a point," Sora stated, his voice sounding thoughtful. "It isn't like Leon to let something he really cares about be put at risk…crap, that didn't sound right either. Sorry, Riku, but you know what I meant, right?"

"Yeah," Riku nodded slowly even though his friend could not see it. Zack figured the other adolescent knew he had though, as he would have expected it even if he had not seen it either.

The raven-haired man grinned lightly at the boy. "I have a few personal possessions that have a lot of meaning and sentimental value to me, but nothing could ever compare in importance to Aerith or you."

The silvered adolescent smiled softly in return. "Thank you Zack, but I'm not _that _messed up. I know Squall would choose my safety over that of a pendent. I still feel badly about loosing it though…it _does _mean a lot to him…"

The violet-eyed man was pleased to hear the boy say that, but he could tell that the teen was also worried over his boyfriend's reaction to him losing what seemed to be his most cherished belonging.

"Yeah, Riku," Sora voiced chimed in from the radio once again; "Even though I know they'd be a little disappointed and would never let me hear the end of it, I know that Kairi and Penelo wouldn't be that upset if I lost their good luck charms. They'd be too happy to have me back safe and sound to be that bothered by it. You-uh, I have to go Riku, Donald's chasing his nephews with his wand and yelling something…I'll talk to you later."

"Bye Sora," Riku replied as Zack arched an eyebrow. Then there was a knock at the front door. Riku tilted his head slightly. "It's Squall and Vincent…I didn't know he was coming back with him."

"Yeah, I figured he'd want to stay near Midgar for awhile while he and Reeve got started on fixing the place up. He must be fonder of you than he lets on," commented the ex-SOLDIER before turning his head toward the hall and yelling, "Come on in!"

A moment later, the two stoic men entered the bedroom. Vincent merely nodded his head and spoke Riku's name in form of greeting, while Leon crossed the room to embrace the boy briefly but firmly.

Violet eyes shifted between the room's other occupants, as Leon stepped away from Riku after releasing him. The scarred man and the silvered adolescent still seemed inclined toward one another, even as their attention returned to the two raven-haired men.

"So…" started the ex-SOLDIER, looking between Leon and Vincent; "Radiant Garden is really moving along, Traverse Town is better than it's ever been, and now Midgar is being restored. You two must feel pleased." After both of the other men nodded or shrugged, Zack grinned, "Of course, all the buildings and such aren't anywhere near as important as the people; right?"

Riku glanced at his godfather questioningly as Vincent nodded once again, "That is the primary reason for rebuilding."

Zack turned his attention solely to the Gunblade wielder, noticing that Riku bit his lip as he did so. "Well objects and locations are only important because of the people and memories that we connect to them; wouldn't you agree Leon?"

The steel-eyed man merely quirked an eyebrow at his violet-eyed friend; "Fine, I'll bite…what are you actually getting to?"

"Just trying to make a point," replied the ex-SOLDIER with a glance at Riku.

The turquoise-eyed boy narrowed his eyes slightly at his godfather, but he looked both apprehensive and appreciative as well. "Trying to hammer a point in is more like it…"

Leon turned to take in his young lover's expression. "…And why does he feel the need to have me specifically make this point for him?"

"Because I lost Griever when Sora and I were fighting," Riku admitted apologetically as he stood and turned to face the scarred man, though his head was tilted down and aside slightly as usual. "I'm sorry…"

Steel blue eyes studied turquoise for a moment before Leon answered quietly. "…You were really worried about this."

The silver-haired teen nodded slowly. "Of course…I know it's something important to you. I also know that I'm important to you, but that doesn't mean-"

Leon, who had looked rather pensive as Riku explained, interrupted the boy by pulling him into another, decidedly more intimate, embrace. He tilted his head down to speak quietly into the teen's ear, clearly wanting only the boy to hear his words. Neither Zack nor Vincent made any effort to hear him with their advanced hearing.

In response to whatever his boyfriend had said, Riku flushed slightly, but smiled softly as well before meeting Leon's eyes and then kissing him soundly.

As the couple adjusted their hold on each other, Zack stood and turned to Vincent. "Would you like something to drink?"

The ex-SOLDIER could have sworn he saw the slightest hint of a smirk before the crimson-eyed man turned and left the room seconds before he left as well. He did not bother closing the door behind him.


	242. Feathers

_Prompt: Feathers_

_Given by: Ibeyla the Zoidian_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Implied Post-Sephiroth/OC, Zack/Aerith, Leon/Riku, Cloud/Reno

* * *

_

Zack was helping a couple of the others remove debris out by the castle gate. He had not been working terribly long, but he had not completed as much as he should have. His movements were slower than usual…his mind was distracted.

He had woken up with an odd, low buzzing in the back of his mind that was more of a sensation than anything else. That was why the ex-SOLDIER had chosen something menial to do that day, he knew he would never be able to sit still or focus while the feeling persisted. However, he had not anticipated that the sensation would grow increasingly stronger throughout the day. Aerith had even suggested that he take the remainder of the off when they had lunch together.

Finally, other sensations and feeling began to join it, only not in his mind. Zack stilled as he focused, and was unsurprised that his heart had figured it out before his conscious mind.

There was the dull, steady ache that he got in times such as when he returned to Radiant Garden to find that Cloud had taken to wondering aimlessly or when he thought of all the years that Riku had to watch his mother deteriorate without anyone else there for him. It was the worry over a loved one's wellbeing.

Then the feeling increased along with the violet-eyed man's heart rate. Zack knew this feeling as well; he had felt the same thing when he saw Cloud slip back into darkness slightly or Riku struggling not to cry when he awoke from nightmares. His protectiveness of those he cared for was kicking in.

The ex-SOLDIER grabbed his cell phone as his mind finally made a connection. Someone he loved was in trouble, and it was one of the three he was connected to through the S cells. He was about to call Cloud to find out if the other man felt it too or if he was the one in trouble.

However, he never made the call, as another feeling rose within his heart vigorously…it was a relatively new feeling, but one that he still recognised. He was still unused to these strong paternal instincts but he was happy to have them and never more so than that moment.

Riku needed help.

Zack had dropped his shovel and his phone and started running toward home before he even finished the thought.

The violet-eyed man had only recently discovered that many of the things he had always 'guessed' correctly about his godson, such as his location and overall wellbeing, were actually him sensing the boy through the connected they shared through Sephiroth's cells. Aerith and Cloud believed that the strong emotional bond between the two had made the cellular connection more pronounced.

Zack did not care why anymore, he knew Riku was hurt and was at home, which was odd for him at that time of the day. The teen would usually have been with Zack or Leon, or otherwise helping Cid, Yuffie, or Aerith with their duties in the restoration.

He had just hit the Bailey when he heard footsteps rushing to catch him. "What's going on, yo?"

"Something's going on with Riku," Zack called back to Reno, who continued to run after him as he headed for his house.

The Turk grabbed the ex-SOLDIER's arm before he could step onto his own lawn. "Hold up…can you tell if Psycho-Daddy or any other Mako freaks are in there with him? What are we dealing with, yo?"

Zack closed his eyes for a moment to try to concentrate, but he could only sense pain and Riku's presence. "I wouldn't know with Genesis, I know Angeal wouldn't hurt Riku, and I don't know about Sephiroth…it's hard to tell; it's like a siren's going off telling me to get to Riku."

The redhead nodded and pulled out his cell phone, "Spike'll know if Sephiroth's around."

The raven-hared man nodded as he turned to the house. "I'm going in, wait a couple minutes before you follow. If Seph is here, then tell Cloud to come."

Zack vaguely heard Reno murmuring into his phone as he walked around the house to enter through the back door, as Riku usually did. The back door was closed but not locked. This told the violet-eyed man that his godson had been in a great rush or in intense pain when he entered…if not both.

The room the violet-eyed man entered into was the kitchen, and he immediately noticed drops of blood on the pale tile floor. The amount of blood increased as he followed the trail into a short hall and then entered the sitting room. In there, aside from an increase of blood, the ex-SOLDIER saw what looked like tiny bits of flesh; by the time he reached the hallway, there were also small chunks of what appeared to be silver fur.

Kneeling down, Zack saw that they were actually fine, silky feathers. He suddenly realised what was happening.

Zack ran across the short space to the bathroom door, which was cracked open and had the faint sound of water issuing from it. Throwing the door open and quickly scanning the room, the violet-eyed man saw Riku's t-shirt discarded on the ground, torn and bloody. The shower curtain was slightly askew already when the ex-SOLDIER ripped it open further.

Riku was hunched over and sitting in a crouch in the bathtub, still wearing his jeans and socks, with his head pressed against his knees and the chain from Griever shining against his pale neck as his silver hair fell forward. His arms were held tightly against his torso as his nails dug into his palm deep enough to draw blood, but that clearly was not where the blood trail had come from. The shower water striking his shuddering back was red by the time it reached the tub.

Protruding from the adolescent's left shoulder blade was a wet and ensanguined silver wing.

"Ku…?" Zack kneeled beside the hunched over figure slowly as he reached a hand to touch the boy's trembling shoulder.

Riku raised his head quickly and turquoise eyes darted to the side to see Zack clearly as he turned his head slightly. The raven-haired man slipped his arm over the boy's shoulders, careful not to jolt the new appendage as he sighed in relief…even if he hated seeing the fear and pain in them, those were definitely Riku's eyes. "Ku," he repeated, allowing his concern and sympathy to show now that he understood what had been wrong.

The shocked teen turned and uncurled himself slightly as he clutched to Zack as though his godfather were a lifeline. Zack wrapped his other arm around the boy's waist and waited a moment when he heard Riku's breathing grow shaky and broken. After the boy had calmed slightly, as much as the ex-SOLDIER figured he could under the circumstances, he spoke again. "What happened, Riku?"

"I don't know;" replied the boy softly, his voice was slightly muffled by Zack's shoulder, but neither moved to alter that. "I had this strange feeling all day, but I didn't know what it was. I was just going to find Squall after I got out of school…Then the feeling got stronger and I…I heard _him_…but I'm not sure if it was me was talking to… It only lasted a few minutes before I shut him out, but the pain had already started…"

The violet-eyed man held the boy as tightly as he dared, not wanting to hurt him any further. "The others didn't get wings until later…I though their awareness triggered it, but that doesn't make sense with you."

Riku pressed his face further into Zack's chest and his grip on the raven-haired man's shirt tightened as the new appendage twitched involuntarily. "You said I was different…"

"Yeah;" before Zack could decide if he should say more, and then what he _should _say, Reno entered the doorway.

"What the hell happened here, yo? Silver really _is _an angel?" His expression was concerned despite his easy tone.

Violet-eyed shot a quick glare at the Turk. However, most of his annoyance drained when Riku stopped cringing and shivering after the last wave. "I know you figured out who his father is already and I expect you to continue keeping that fact to yourself."

The redhead snorted, "Yeah, because no one else will notice _that_."

"He's right," murmured Riku; he looked up at Zack as some colour began to return to his pallid face.

"I'm sorry, Ku…I don't-" Zack sighed and squeezed the boy again. "I think we'll have to leave. This is the only world where-"

"No," the protest was quiet but firm.

"Riku, this is bad…aside from all the people who despise Sephiroth or just unusual people, there are probably other survivors from ShrinRa. If they see you like this…" The violet-eyed man did not finish the statement…he did not even want to finish the thought.

"There has to be a way to get rid of it…"Turquoise eyes were fraught and close to tears.

Zack just stared at the boy despondently. He nodded once; "It'll hurt."

"No more than it already has," offered the adolescent.

Reno pulled out his cell phone and pressed one button before speaking into it. "Cloud…on second thought, you better come down here, yo. No, not that…no, will you let me just say it? …Thanks. You know that scar on your back…well, we need to give Riku one to match and I don't think Fair is gonna be able to bring himself to do it to the kid. Yep; see you in a few."

The redhead sighed and looked at Zack, who was holding his godson protectively and wearing a rather disturbed expression. "Cloud's coming, yo. You gonna stay for this, Fair?"

Violet-eyes glanced at Riku. "Are you sure about this?" When the boy nodded, Zack rubbed the small of his back. "Then I'm staying."

"Good," Reno commented. "Get in the tub with him…you hold him from the front, I'll standby with some potions and towels, and Cloud can take the messy job. It'll be quick, yo."

Riku nodded once again; "Thank you…both of you."

The Turk started to wave the gratitude off, when Zack looked at him as well. "Really, Reno…thanks."

The redhead shrugged. "At least I get to see Silver wet and topless and I can say I was in the shower with Cloud, you, and the pretty boy."

Zack could not bring himself to smile. He kissed Riku's damp hair and hoped that this would be the worst he had to endure over his heritage.

In any case…at least they had some damn good friends.


	243. Ambush

_Prompt: Ambush_

_Given by: Ibeyla the Zodian_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Leon/Riku, Implied Post-Sephiroth/OC_

_Author's Note: I like the points made (or rather that I attempted to make), however, I am not particularly pleased with this one...I do not know why though. Oh well, I hope you enjoy it and thank you fo rreading._

_Thank you Jediempress for the suggestion.

* * *

_

The ambush itself really had not surprised Riku, but then, few things did after the past couple of years. He knew he had enemies on all sides and it had really only been a matter of time before one of them tried something.

What actually surprised him enough to stop struggling temporarily against the multiple pairs of hands that were trying to strike him and hold him down, was the familiar voice that spoke behind his left ear during the tussle.

"Not as untouchable as you seem, are you, you little ponce?"

Riku realised then that he was not being attacked for any of the reasons that he would have suspected off hand. This had nothing to do with Heartless, Keyblades, Darkness, Light, Jenova, Maleficent, Xehanort's Heartless, or his father…it was just a group of boys, only a year or so older than himself, who were homophobic.

As he was turned around, still shocked by this realisation, he recognised each of them. The speaker had often tried to bully him at school since he moved to Radiant Garden, having some unknown issue with Riku's androgyny and disposition. The rest were his friends, some had also expressed ill will toward him in the past, and the others had always been bystanders before.

Amongst the jeers and insults (The silver-haired boy could not help but wonder why there even were that many derogatory titles for people like him), Riku felt the hands on him loosen their hold marginally, and saw the punch coming even before the older boy pulled back his fist. The silvered teen dropped to his knees and heard a muffled crack as the other boys fist struck the wall he had been pressed against seconds before. He then twisted to avoid a kick to the ribs, and tried to think.

These were ordinary human teenagers…not Heartless or witches or any other denizens of darkness. Normally, the turquoise-eyes boy did not like to inflict harm upon regular people. It was not exactly a fair fight for him or Sora to take on ordinary people after all of the skills and abilities they had acquired. However, it was not as though the other boys seemed interested in a fair fight. They _were _taking him on six to one after all, and each was notably bulkier than he was.

Riku debated himself as he kicked one of the larger boy's legs out from under him. Naturally, he would never summon the Keyblade under such circumstances, and he doubted it was wise to use any of his unique abilities either. Therefore, he was just a skilled (albeit not entirely human, but he could not help that) fighter and the other boys could have found out that he was skilled easily enough before they decided to pick a fight. It was not a terribly unfair fight… and he could still just aim to get away…he doubted that beating them up would change their opinions anyway.

The silvered adolescent rolled into a crouch, kicked another of his attackers, and then stood as he struck another with his palm. He turned quickly and just in time for the boy who had been about to punch him in the kidney to stumble forward. He brought his own elbow back to strike the boy just where he had been aiming to hit Riku. Then the silvered teen turned to face the main threat, ignoring a heavy and solid object that thudded against his chest after he spun around.

The older boy however, did not ignore it. His eyes flicked down to Riku's chest…and stilled as a confused expression briefly flickered over his face while he stared at the Griever pendant hanging there. After a few seconds, he attempted to look Riku in the eyes. Suddenly his face twisted in disgust. "So that's why we never see our esteemed leader using his position to impress the ladies…he's more interested in little boys."

Ignoring the immediate fear that the statement caused in him, Riku thought quickly and took a few slow steps back. He could hear the other boys recovering, sharing in their unofficial leader's shock and disgust, and debating whether they really wanted to mess with Riku if it meant facing the scarred man's wrath…or whether Leon would truly be willing to take action against them. There was more at risk now than just Riku being injured.

All of his thoughts ceased when something the boy before him was saying to one of the others broke through. "Are you kidding? Do you know how most people will react to this? If we can play this right, we own-"

The boy was interrupted by Riku's fist colliding with his jaw.

Suddenly, he had no problem with kicking their arses. He did not even need any of the abilities he feared to use on other people.

Even if they dared to say anything about the newly discovered secret after he warning the silver-haired teen left them with, most would just think it was a desperate attempt at retaliation or simply high school rumours, or maybe they would just assume the others were tormenting him for a crush. In any case, Riku could deal with it…as long as Leon did not have to.

Riku decided to stop by his boyfriend's house on the way home that evening.


	244. Storm

_Prompt: Storm_

_Given by: Ibeyla the Zodian_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Post-Leon/Riku, Pre-Leon/Riku, Leon/Riku (That will make sense once you read it)

* * *

_

Leon could not understand what was happening to him... why emotions that felt right, but could not be, continued to take him by surprise whenever the boy was near.

Riku had just moved to Radiant Garden, knowing he could not return to his old life on the islands only weeks after he and Sora went home from their year and a half long journey. The scarred man suspected that the silvered adolescent knew he could not return long before that, but had tried anyway for his friends.

_Leon brushed silver bangs away from blindfolded eyes and allowed his hand to caress the boy's smooth face afterwards. "Why do you push yourself so hard? Why do you try to do so much on your own?" _

_Riku leaned into his touch gently, unlike the way he retreated from anyone else. His voice was sad but determined when he answered; "Because there isn't anyone else who can…and that's my fault."_

The steel-eyed man closed his eyes for a brief moment as he willed the dream-like memories away. In truth, they had to be figments of his imaginations. While he had heard Sora mention his best friend a handful of times, he had never actually met the boy until a couple of weeks before. Yet, these images, like memories of vivid dreams, kept plaguing him, as did an odd sense of familiarity and longing that haunted him whenever he thought of the teenager.

The stoic man hated the way he felt so helpless to the feelings that were slowly overpowering him, casting him in all directions like a feather caught in a storm. The worst part was that he had no idea _why _the boy had this effect on him. It should have taken months of intimate knowledge of each other to develop this sort of connection.

_Their weapons lay forgotten on the ground as Leon held Riku in his arms and slowly led the boy in a dance he had thought was long forgotten, to a tune that the adolescent could not have recognised. He dropped his head to kiss the boy's hair and whispered, "What are you doing to me?" _

_He felt the teen smirk softly against his shirt. "I could ask you the same thing…"_

Leon looked up quickly when someone entering the computer room interrupted his thoughts. Riku's already bowed head turned away further to hide his eyes from Leon's stare. The boy did not seem keen on eye contact or physical contact with anyone, but the steel-eyed man could not help but notice that Riku shied away from his gaze more than any others.

Without ever meeting the scarred man's eyes, Riku handed Leon a disc and then turned to the computer to open a program that no one else had been able to crack during the last two months. It only took a moment for the Gunblade wielder to realise the disc contained the data he had asked the teen to retrieve only the evening before.

"_You know, I've gotten pretty good with computers…if you ever want me to take a crack at it for you," offered Riku as he sat with his legs dangling over the ruins of a wall that should have been the bridge over the Borough, and would be once again. _

_Leon smiled softly, still amazed by how easy it was for him to talk to this boy; He had just spoken for a solid twenty minutes about an issue with the town's central computer system and the teen had not only listened, but actually understood and cared. "Thanks, I might take you up on that sometime…but not while you have so much on your plate already."_

Steel blue eyes widened as Leon heard Riku's breath catch and he realised that he had not only moved to stand behind the boy, but had actually stroked his hair while lost in the surreal thoughts. The boy's back was shivering slightly under his hand, but both the gasp and the quivering seemed more sad than shocked. The scarred man could not help but wonder why the hair and body under his hand felt so familiar.

When another 'memory' fell into place, Leon decided to voice some of it aloud, just to see if he really was remembering or if he had finally lost his mind; he spoke softly as he lowered his hand from the boy's hair and back. This was bound to be creepy enough without his hand on the teen as well.

"You didn't learn how to type from DiZ; you learned that from your mother…it reminded you of learning to play the piano."

Riku's entire body stiffened and he stopped typing immediately. His soft voice was breathless when he finally responded. "That's not possible…you can't remember…"

Steel blue eyes widened once more before Leon grabbed Riku's shoulders and turned him around. He then shifted one hand to the boy's chin and raised his face. For once, the turquoise-eyed boy did not resist.

As their eyes met for the first time that Leon could remember with complete certainty, more unknown memories and unmistakable emotions ran through the scarred man. More surprising was the fact that he could see all the same emotions running through the boy's expressive eyes. Everything Leon had been feeling and thinking were there, along with a desperate hope, some confusion, and a deep affection that the man was tempted to label as love…but how could the boy love him when they had just met?

The Gunblade wielder did not release the teenager as he spoke. "What can't I remember…and why can't I? What's happening between us, Riku?"

"We didn't meet for the first time two weeks ago," replied the boy hesitantly. "We met a little over a year ago. You were made to forget…"

"How? Why?" Searching the boy's eyes, Leon could see that he was being completely honest, but it still did not make any sense.

"Do you recall when everyone remembered Sora all of a sudden?" Riku waited until Leon nodded before licking his lips and continuing. "Okay…then answer this, how long had you forgotten him for?"

"I don't know…it couldn't have been long; not more than…" The scarred man trailed off as a few thoughts and memories came to the front of his mind. "No, we completed so many projects…it had to have been nearly a year…why haven't I realised this before?"

"While a girl named Naminé fixed Sora's broken memories, she had to make everyone else forget about him. That lasted for a year. In order to prevent more information about worlds and Keyblades getting out, and certain people from having bad reactions, she made sure no one could realise how long and how thoroughly they had forgotten him once they remembered. To do that, she had to erase certain memories that would have made anyone realise what happened. For you…that meant forgetting me."

Riku's eyes suddenly gained a pained edge and his voice sounded slightly strained. "I didn't know that was going to have to happen…I- You already knew about the Keyblade and the existence of other worlds; you had known Sora, Mickey, and DiZ… So, I thought I could talk to you. I told you _everything_. You helped me; you- but then you had to forget. Once Naminé went back to Kairi -she was her Nobody, but made through Sora, that's why she could effect your heart through his- that power was lost and no one was supposed to be able to remember how much they had forgotten over that time."

"We used to spar…and I taught you how to dance," Leon spoke numbly, still staring into the silvered adolescent's eyes. "I told you everything too…about the restoration, my family and friends…I- You spent your sixteenth birthday here, before you had to leave for a long time."

Tears welled up in the boy's eyes as he nodded slightly. "That was the last time I came here. I used to come as often as I could, but after that, I had to go after Sora's Nobody and then I would be too busy taking care of him to see you for a while…I didn't know it would be the last time…that you wouldn't remember me when you saw me again."

"Riku, don't you understand? I _do _remember you." The former SeeD shook his head slightly. "I remembered you from day one, I just didn't think the memories were real because they weren't there before, but as soon as I saw you, I remembered. I felt…wait, what were we exactly?"

The teen flushed but his gaze did not waver. "I consider you my first boyfriend…I l- uh…I think, no- I know you cared about me too. We never, er, got very far physically, but we were close. It was…incredible. I really miss you…" The boy's voice finally broke as it had been threatening to, and he broke eye contact as he lowered his face.

Leon felt as if the storm he had been trapped in was raging fully as so many lost moments, feelings, and conversations returned to him while he held Riku close and inhaled the scent of his hair. The boy's arms hesitantly wrapped around him as well and the scarred man would have known then that it was all true, even if he had not remembered or seen the teen's eyes, because he never would have felt so content just to hold someone if this were not real.

"You shouldn't look someone in the eyes and then try to keep something from them," the steel-eyed man commented gently as he moved just enough to allow the boy too look up at him. "Your eyes said it anyway."

Riku smiled softly; "You never had to say it either…"

Leon brushed the adolescent's bangs aside and dipped his head down to kiss the boy. The kiss was returned without hesitation before Riku melted into him.

They parted just enough to breathe, and Riku whispered something that made Leon smile for the first time since the boy and all memories of him left the man. "I love you too…"

"Will you stop by my place later?" questioned the scarred man as he stroked the boy's arms, "To fill me in on the rest?"

Riku nodded and smiled before indicating for the Gunblade wielder to wait and retrieving something from the bag he had brought in with him. He handed Leon a thick, but plain looking, black notebook. "This has been my journal since I left the islands…the first time. You already know just about everything that's in here, so why don't you take it for a little while? Just until you can remember on your own…"

Leon grinned and flipped through the pages, there were sketches, haiku, schematics, theories, and standard journal style entries covering most of the pages. Even just flipping through it, he recalled either sharing the experiences with Riku or else listening to the boy tell him about them. "Thank you…I don't think I'll need it for very long."

The adolescent's smile brightened. "I still don't know how this is possible…she used Sora's connection to your heart to make you forget…"

Leon tilted his head to place a light kiss on the boy's temple, recalling doing it several times in the past as he did so; "But _your _heart remembered, so mine did too."

Riku chuckled, "And I still think I'm the only one who gets to see that side of you…"

The scarred man grinned back; "What side?"

"Your sappy side…"

"…Oh, now you're going to get it."

Cid and Aerith simply stood with their mouths hanging open when Leon chased Riku past them in the hall, both laughing and throwing teases back and forth as though they had known one another for years.

They both wondered why, somehow, it just felt right…


	245. Betrayal

_Prompt: Betrayal_

_Given by: Ibeyla the Zodian_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Zack/Aerith, Post-Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi)_

_Author's Note: This is a follow up to Haven, which also takes place before Feathers, although it should stand alone as well. Thank you for reading and enjoy. _

_------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Zack sat on the floor in the old church, his head bowed and hands clenched, but he was not praying. Instead, the ex-SOLDIER was crying.

On one hand, he felt completely betrayed, on the other, he felt as though he himself had committed the ultimate betrayal.

Soft footsteps caught his attention just before Aerith kneeled down before him and placed one of her soft hands over his. Teary violet eyes rose to see her sympatric and worried face. He forced himself to explain before he worried her even more. "Sephiroth's gone…I killed him…"

Aerith pulled him into a gentle embrace and made a soothing sound before asking, "What happened? I thought Reeve said this wasn't about Sephiroth…"

"It wasn't…not really." Violet eyes flicked to a familiar hole in the roof as Zack spoke. "The three we were there to stop did have something to do with him, but I'm not sure what. They were pretty good, but then Sephiroth showed up-"

"What?" Green eyes widened slightly as Aerith pulled back enough to look at her husband's face.

"Seph came and helped us…he said they had had to be destroyed for Riku's safety." The raven-haired man wore a pained expression when he continued. "Then he left and we thought it was done. Cloud and Reno were catching up with Vincent and Reeve when we realised something was going on…Sephiroth went after his mother…"

"His…" Aerith looked confused for a brief moment before her hand went to her mouth. "You mean his birth mother?"

Zack nodded, "Vincent is going to need some recovery time…I mean, she was pretty much gone before but this was still awful. Sephiroth found us again right after we left Midgar. He said he had to destroy her and that he was going after the others. He said Riku would never be free otherwise. I didn't want to believe it but I could tell he was telling the truth. So Cloud, Reno, and I went after Genesis…and afterwards, we found out that Seph had killed Angeal…"

"No…" Aerith caressed the violet-eyed man's face and looked at him with deep sympathy as his eyes teared again. "Zack, I'm so sorry…"

"I still can't believe they're gone…" Zack closed his eyes and shook his head sadly. Then he looked up, unable to prevent several tears from escaping. "I should have seen it coming then, but I was just too shocked. Cloud was the first to react when Sephiroth attacked…he gave us no choice but to-"

The ex-SOLDIER took a deep, shaky breath. "He hurt Reno pretty bad…Cloud took him to help already. He's going to be all right…they both are…"

Aerith sat back slightly, holding one of Zack's hands in both of hers. "What about you?"

"Physically, I'm fine but…" He squeezed his eyes shut and lowered his head. "I don't know how to tell Riku…I-"

"You don't have to tell him anything," Aerith interjected sadly. "How do you think I knew where to find you or that you were back? He just told me that you needed me and then he led me here. He felt something…it took Leon, Cid, and myself to stop him from going after you. I don't think he knows all the details, but I suspect he knows who survived and who did not. Don't worry, Zack; he knows you…it'll hurt, but he'll understand."

"I hope you're right," Zack did not open his eyes or raise his head as he shook it again, "Because I can't lose him too…"

Suddenly Zack did open his eyes and raise his head as he felt a pair of slender but strong arms wrap around his neck while a slighter body pressed against his back. Aerith released his had and wiped her teary eyes as her gaze shifted to something just over Zack's shoulder. The violet-eyed man could feel soft hair on the back of his neck and a slight wetness soaking through his collar.

"I can't lose you either." Riku's voice was muffled by sorrow and Zack's shirt, but the words still left an impact in the ex-SOLDIER. "I was so scared that you weren't going to come back…"

Zack turned his head and brought one of his arms behind him to pull on Riku's shirt. The boy understood and silently shifted around so that the raven-haired man could hold him properly. Zack wrapped both arms around the boy and held him tightly. He felt Aerith move to kneel beside him and she fit one of her arms over his and ran the other through his hair soothingly.

Zack felt relieved. He was safe with his family, who loved him and understood him. A part of him also felt even guiltier than before. Sephiroth had deserved and wanted this too…to feel the love of his wife and child.

"It wasn't your fault," Riku murmured, as though he could sense his godfather's thoughts, and Zack would not be surprised if he could.

The boy looked up and violet eyes met turquoise; even through the tears, Zack could see sorrow and a strange emptiness in them, but there was also relief and love. The ex-SOLDIER knew the silvered adolescent was being honest with him, that he truly did not blame him, and he could never express how much the boy's words meant to him at that moment. When the teen spoke again, his voice still soft and thick with sadness, something in the man's heart released while something else strengthened.

"If I'd had to choose which one of you was going to come back, it would have been you." The teen's silvered head pressed against Zack's shoulder as he embraced the man tightly again.

"I never wanted you to lose either," Zack whispered as he tightened his own grip on the boy.

"Sephiroth chose you to take care of Riku form the beginning," Aerith stated softly. "This is what he wanted. He knew Riku would be safe and loved with you…with us. In truth, you were Riku's only chance at this for a long time now." The green-eyed woman gently rubbed each of the mourning males' backs to emphasise her point.

Violet eyes glanced from Aerith's watery smile, to the silvered head that was still tucked into his shoulder.

Zack hoped that Sephiroth was finally at peace…that he was with Hilargi, Angeal, Genesis, and perhaps even Lucrecia somewhere where Jenova could not harm any of them anymore. If that was the case, then he hoped that never had to return here.

If Sephiroth ever did, then Zack felt that he would owe his friend…he had given Zack the life -the child- that he had always wanted.

The ex-SOLDIER kissed Riku's head and then offered Aerith his own teary smile. He felt so fortunate to have both of them, as well as his friends. He took Aerith's hand and shifted his grip around Riku's shoulders before taking a deep breath.

"Let's go home."

His wife squeezed his hand and her calm smile brightened slightly, while his son, for that is what he would always consider the boy now, nodded against him before both stood and pulled him up with them.

Neither released him as they turned and headed home, and if it were possible, Zack would never release either of them.


	246. Supernatural

_Prompt: Supernatural_

_Given by: Summing up the Stars_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Zack/Aerith, Leon/Riku; Implied Post-Sephiroth/OC _

_Author's note: This story takes place between __Betrayal__ and __Feathers__. Thank you for reading and enjoy. _

_Edited 25-03-08, because I loathed the beginning._

* * *

Two months after Sephiroth, Genesis, Angeal, and the remnants had been killed; Riku closed a textbook and placed it, along with his completed homework, on his beside table next to a recently framed photo. The teen glanced at the image of himself (with Enkeli at his heels) and Aerith soaking Zack with garden hoses when they were planting the new trees she had recently procured...the memory of that day made him grin. Cloud had actually laughed along with them as he took the photo; it seemed that all of them felt lighter over the past several weeks.

The teenager leaned down to scratch behind Enkeli's ears before standing and flicking his bangs out of his eyes. He had recently cut his hair and bangs so that his eyes and face were not constantly veiled. He still tended to keep his face downcast and his shoulders hunched slightly, but it was a start. Leon had particularly enjoyed the fact that he was now exposing his eyes. Riku grinned as he recalled the expression on his boyfriend's face when he had first seen him after it was cut…that alone would have been worth having to get used to the change.

Riku walked through the house with Enkeli following, heading for the kitchen. He smirked at the note on the refrigerator, which Aerith had placed there to remind him to eat dinner while she and Zack were out on their date. The teen glanced at the clock and debated calling Leon to see if he wanted to come over for a while.

"Want to see Squall, boy?" The turquoise-eyed boy asked the happy puppy at his feet. The pup had grown considerably since Christmas and was looking more and more like Pluto as he grew. Riku made a mental note to send Mickey an updated photo soon.

Before Enkeli could 'reply', Riku turned his head in confusion as a sudden humming started in the back of his mind. He clenched and unclenched his hands as he felt something coursing through his entire body…it was as though his very blood hurt.

The teen staggered back a few steps before bringing one hand up to press against his forehead while the he steadied himself against the counter with the other. The odd humming sensation seemed to be spreading throughout his mind and even his body.

Not knowing why, the boy turned and walked out the back door. Thick, dark clouds hid the evening sky from view, and a fair wind was blowing. Riku wrapped his arms around himself as he walked several feet out onto the cobblestone garden path that he and Zack had recently put in for Aerith.

His arms and head dropped as he felt as though something were stirring inside of him. The humming in his head was growing stronger. Without thinking, Riku looked up and raised both arms out completely. The clouds parted overhead and he could see the stars shining in the sky.

A particular star seemed to hold his attention, until he felt as though it were actually pulling him in.

Then, everything turned white…

_He was looking through a thick layer of something firm and mainly translucent with a cyan hue as a figure approached. _

_When the figure drew close enough, he noticed claret hair, icy blue eyes, fair skin, rosy lips, and a sharp jaw line. Fantasies of a woman with similar colourings quickly faded as his view shifted to take in the red leather coat and gloves before Genesis smirked and held up something he could not make out._

"_Our work is not complete yet, Brother." A gloved hand pressed against the unknown prison as a vibrant darkness shimmered in the edges of his vision. _

_Understanding sinking in, he smirked as flames arose, helping the darkness to melt away his confides. Genesis stepped back smoothly to avoid the flames._

_Darkness filled him and his body burned and tingled until a familiar presence soothed his mind. Genesis stepped forward with just as much grace as he had departed with before holding out a red-gloved hand. "Do you wish to finish what we began?"_

_His own black-clad hand reached out to accept the assistance as he left his confines. "Are the others still disposed of?"_

_The other man's small smirk returned as they walked side by side. "Yes. I do not believe your creations had a strong enough connection to return, and our old friend was already weak…I doubt he'll be a nuisance."_

Riku fell to his knees as he chocked back a sob while a familiar weight settled over him. He hunched forward, had to support himself with his hands as well as his knees while he pressed back the vision, and struck the walkway he was kneeling on as hard as he could. When his fist cracked and bled, he threw most of his attention into the pain for a moment to bring his consciousness back into himself completely. He could only vaguely feel Enkeli licking his hurt hand.

Turquoise eyes were squeezed closed as the teenager forced the humming in his mind away and strained to put up the mental and emotional walls that he had thought he no longer needed just a moment before. The small part of his conscious that was not occupied with this task was pleased that he could still feel another presence approaching quickly, one that brought with it feelings of comfort and home.

"Riku!" Zack called just before he dropped to his knees beside the boy. Riku felt one of the man's arms wrap around him as the other carefully raised his wrist to bring his injured hand into better view.

"Zack, Riku," Another pair of footsteps approached rapidly.

"Aerith…I don't know what's wrong…his hand-" Riku leaned against the man completely, with his face tucked into his neck. Zack's presence seemed to overpower the other ones that had intruded into his mind, and the boy found it easier to finish his mental task with him near. "Riku…hang in there. What happened?"

"I'm okay…" The silvered adolescent murmured. Zack adjusted his head to rest his cheek over the teen's forehead and wrapped the other arm around the boy as Aerith gently took Riku's injured hand.

Aerith healed his hand, but did not release it. She brushed the boy's bangs aside to look at his face as he continued to lean against Zack for support. "I'm not so sure about that…you're paler than a cloud right now… What happened?"

Riku shook his head slightly against his godfather and made no move to hide the tears building in his eyes. "It never ends…"

Green eyes grew more concerned as Aerith wiped a stray tear off the teen's cheek and Zack dipped his head slightly to nuzzle the boy's hair. Then the raven-haired man's cell phone began to play Cloud's ring tone.

Then the ex-SOLDIER stiffened and tightened his hold on Riku as he shifted his head. Aerith raised her eyes, clearly meeting her husband's over the boy's head. "What is it?"

Zack's voice sounded shocked and tight when he answered. "They're back."

Riku shook his head again. "It's less them this time…more her…"

Zack leaned his head against the boy's again. "Where are they?"

Without thought, Riku pointed up to the star that had fixed his attention earlier. The raven-haired man raised his head to follow the teen's finger and Aerith turned to look up as well.

The green-eyed woman turned to the two males once again. "What do we do?"

Zack was quiet for a moment as he glanced down at Riku. "We wait…they're going to return here and when they do, we'll do whatever we have to. Until then, we keep going…keep living." He stroked the boy's hair. "Ku, can you stand?"

The silvered adolescent took a couple deep breaths before nodding and standing shakily. One of the ex-SOLDIER's arms never released him. "I'm okay now…I just needed a minute to block myself off…"

"Okay," Zack still did not remove his arm. "Let's go inside…you're freezing."

Riku took one more glance at the sky, then turned to the man beside him and offered a small smile. "Thanks..."

Zack tightened his grip into a firm one-armed hug, "Anytime, Ku."

Once they entered the kitchen, Aerith glanced at the refrigerator, which still had her note stuck to it. "You didn't eat, did you?"

"I got a little distracted…"

"You still should have eaten hours ago," remarked the green-eyed woman. "I know this only happened about half an hour ago because Zack would have felt it sooner." She shook her head as she headed toward her and Zack's room. "What am I going to do with you two?"

Zack grinned and looked at the boy. "Why don't I make you a can of soup before she decides to make you something?"

Riku grinned back. "That sounds good."


	247. Ethereal

_Prompt: Ethereal_

_Given by: Summing up the Stars_

_Setting: Destiny Islands; Pre-KH_

_Pairings: Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi); Implied Mickey/Minnie, Zack/Aerith _

_---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Mickey glanced around the empty beach as he continued walking the abnormally quiet baby in the hopes of piquing his interests in something. Hilargi was making arrangements for a job, as well as a small apartment for her and her child to share, and the demure king had volunteered to watch Riku while she set everything up for their new, and hopefully temporary, lives.

The silver-haired infant had cried his eyes out upon leaving Zack and his father, and released an odd panicked cry nearly halfway through the journey. Mickey was not sure of it was possible for normal babies to show it so notably, but it was quite clear that since then, Riku was deeply depressed.

Mickey glanced along the shoreline once more, again wondering why the Keyblade brought them here of all places. This world was very different from the one the child belonged to and there were not enough people for him to blend in properly.

Not for the first time, Mickey began to wonder if he should have taken Zack up on his offer (or mild demand, really) to accompany Riku and Hilargi. The young man had people he cared for greatly on his home world, but had been willing to leave everything behind to take care of his best friend's child…and Riku had certainly not liked being parted from the violet-eyed teenager either.

The king sighed. It would have been nice to leave knowing that there was someone here who could look after Riku if anything happened to his mother, as well as to guide the boy when his heritage made itself known. Nevertheless, Mickey could not imagine that it would be wise to bring more people away from their home world than necessary. The world's were not supposed to know about each others existences and no one should be expected to endure for long on a world to which they do not belong.

Actually, the mere fact that the Keyblade intervened on the small boy's fate and led him to another world was still stumping the anthropomorphic ruler. Normally, the Keyblade only responded, reacted, or generally got involved for the worlds, Kingdom Hearts, or a Keybearer.

_A Keybearer…_

Mickey looked down at the still moping babe. The bright sun was reflecting off his pale skin and hair so that he almost appeared to posses a soft glow. His silver locks shone in the harsh light, and the downcast angle of his small head caused a nimbus effect. 

The child's angelic heritage and genetic make-up would already suggest an intelligent, graceful, and powerful being, now the king was wondering if it was possible for the boy to be this as well. He also wondered if it would be a positive or a negative for the grandchild of Jenova to be a Keybearer. Either the child would be more likely to try to protect others and the worlds or would be inclined to destroy them all.

The small ruler also was not sure if it was possible for there to be yet another Keybearer in existence. However, he did not know the fates of two of the previous ones, so he supposed it was possible.

Riku glanced up at the king then, beautiful aqua eyes beginning to show some curiosity in his surroundings and current handler, as though he had decided to accept his position and make the most of it. 

_Aqua…_

Now Mickey studied the baby's face, and the child seemed to be studying his as well. The boy's face was not as round as most babies, so what he might look like in a few years when the baby fat faded was slightly clearer. The baby's cheekbones, forehead, and nose definitely resembled a girl the king had once known…a girl who was long lost to the worlds and whom could wield a Keyblade.

_The lost two…_

Mickey grinned as the boy began looking around them, showing a particular interest in the nearby waves. He supposed he would not know for several years, but he suspected that the Keyblade chose this world for a very specific reason: The Keybearers were to be reunited once more. He wondered if the other would resemble his past incarnation as well…he smiled at the thought of this angelic-looking boy, who would no doubt be graceful and calm for most of his life, fighting alongside an energetic and inelegant boy with spiky hair.

The mouse king toed off his sneakers and walked into the water, allowing the child in his arms a better view of the horizon that seemed to entrance him. The boy stared out at the open sea and sky for a time, before glancing down at the waves as they crashed against the king's legs. Then he turned to look at Mickey, and the ruler was rewarded with the first smile he had seen on the child's face. 

The king smiled back, deciding that he was not going to question the power and wisdom of Kingdom Hearts, or any heart, again. Maybe this world was going to be good for the boy after all. 

"Whelp, I guess you and me are going to be seeing each other again no matter what, Riku. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for you." 

\/p


	248. Ambidextrous

_Prompt: Ambidextrous_

_Given by: Summing up the Stars_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Leon/Riku, Cloud/Reno_

_Author's note: This is another one in the Fidget/Traitor arc, enjoy and thank you for reading._

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Cid and Reno were rebuilding a helicopter engine in Cid's workshop when Sora, Riku, and Cloud entered. 

The Turk had glanced over at the sound of the door opening and smirked. "Hey kids. Hey Spiky, what brings your sexy ass here?"

Cloud grinned and held up a small box he had been carrying. "Riku's making another cross-world radio so Sora and he can still talk while Sora's staying at Disney Castle. He needs…something."

"Take whatever you want, Jailbait, just let me know if I need to replace something," mumbled Cid as he took a discreet glance at the two adolescents without ceasing in his work. Both Cloud and Reno noticed this and smirked. Everyone knew the Gummi pilot cared about the two boys more than he ever let on.

Reno looked back at the ex-SOLDIER; "So how long does Fair have you babysitting today, yo?"

Cloud, Sora, and Riku each paused in their current actions to glare at the redhead. Reno merely took in each glare and then pointed to Riku. "Silver definitely wins best glare, yo. You two don't have a face for menacing." 

Cloud and Sora continued to glare as Riku turned and began sifting through a box of spare parts. The redhead ignored them as he switched a wrench to his right hand to reach a bolt further in the engine.

"I'm keeping an eye on these two until Leon finishes whatever he's working on, then Riku's all his and Sora's going skateboarding with Yuffie," commented Cloud once it was obvious the two teenagers did not need his assistance. He doubted he would be much help anyway. 

"You don't actually have to _watch _us the whole time, you know," interjected Sora.

"You've never seen Zack defending a loved one. I don't doubt that it's overprotective but I'd rather have my ass kicked by Sephiroth again then have anything to happen to Riku on my watch." Cloud turned to the other two men in the room when it appeared that he was not going to receive any further protest. "What are you two doing?"

"We're rebuilding one of the damn helicopters so we can make faster runs to Reeve and Vincent and back." Cid did not bother to look up or stop working as he explained. "The Gummies aren't really for inner-world travel and bikes and trucks take too damn long."

"Will these actually work?" asked the spiky-haired man. 

"When the hell have I ever fixed anything that hasn't worked?" replied the elder blonde.

"I meant…how will we operate it?"

"They run on gasoline, yo," replied Reno while Cid was lighting a cigarette and checking out the nearly completed radio Riku was building. 

Cloud rolled his eyes. "I know that much. Can you fly one of these, Cid?" Mako blue eyes returned to the Turk, "And how do you know how to do this?" 

"I used to work on them for ShinRa." Reno used his free hand to correct a mistake on Cid's blueprint while the mechanic was not looking. "I'm also a pilot, in case you forgot, yo."

"I remember…I just didn't know you could do all of this." Cloud tilted his head. "I also didn't know that you're ambidextrous."

"Huh, so is Jailbait," commented Cid as he was watching the two boys across the room. Riku was still attaching several wires with his right hand as he adjusted his notes with his left. "You owe me ten Munny, Spiky."

Both teens stopped and turned to look at the Gummi mechanic. Riku had one eyebrow arched quizzically and Sora had both brows drawn in confusion. Then they glanced at each other; Riku gave a small shrug and Sora shook his head confusedly. 

"So do either of you want to explain that, yo?" Reno looked from Cid to Cloud, a slightly less curious expression on his face. 

"We had bet going," explained Cloud simply.

Reno snorted. "Yeah, I figured out that part."

"None of you know what that means?" asked Cid. "What the hell do they teach in school now?"

"Hey, _I_ know what it means," commented Cloud. 

"Only because I told you a few months back while we were talking about Jailbait," remarked the Gummi pilot. 

Sora looked even more questioningly at that comment; Riku just rolled his eyes and returned to the radio he was finishing. "Why were you talking about Riku?" questioned the spiky-haired teen.

"…And what does ambidextrous mean, yo?" repeated Reno.

"None of your damn business and get a dictionary," grumbled Cid as he slid under the raised engine.

"We we're actually talking about something else and just ended up talking about Riku because of his f-uh, Sephiroth," stated Cloud as he looked at Sora, then he turned to the redhead. "It means you can use both hands equally…for writing, drawing, using hand tools…that kind of thing."

Sora and Cloud chuckled as both Reno and Riku paused and glanced at their own hands as though they had never noticed them before. Riku quickly seemed to lose interest and returned to his current project.

Sora continued to grin as he spoke. "Riku's always used both hands for everything…except for sword fighting, but he usually makes unarmed strikes or casts with his left hand during battles, so I guess that sort of counts as using both. I just never knew there was a word for it."

"Yeah, same here, yo;" Reno shrugged and continued working on the engine. 

"A lot of people don't," remarked Cloud. "Cid's just cranky because it reminds him that he's getting old and senile."

"I _can _kick your ass out of here," Cid reminded the ex-SOLDIER.

"You know, you've been saying that to me since I was his age?" Cloud indicated Sora. 

Reno snorted as a shop towel struck Cloud in the face. "That wasn't _that _funny," said the blonde man with a glare at the Turk.

"_That _wasn't," agreed the redhead with a smirk. "But the expression on your face in a second will be."

Both Cloud and Sora looked at the tattooed man in confusion. 

"Don't look now, but your charge is gone," stated Reno, still smirking.

Cloud turned around, a look of complete shock on his face, "Where the hell…Riku!"

"Huh, I wonder where he went," commented Sora unenthusiastically. The he turned to Cloud and grinned at his expression, "Don't worry. Zack wanted you to watch him with me, and I'm not with him, so Zack has no reason to kick your ass yet."

"Now I know I'm supposedly the senile old bastard here," commented Cid irritably, "But considering that he was finishing up a radio and it's gone too, I'd say he probably went home to test the damn thing out."

"Okay, so maybe you aren't senile," Cloud consented as he headed toward the door. "I'll see you after six, Reno. Come on, Sora."

"Why do I have to go?" questioned the blue-eyed teen. "Aren't we just going to end up coming back here?"

"Insurance, yo;" stated Reno as he returned his central focus to the engine he was supposed to be working on. "If you're with Cloud, then he still hasn't left you alone with Riku and Fair has no reason to kick his ass."

"Why the hell hasn't anyone given Jailbait a cell phone yet?" grumbled Cid as Sora left with Cloud. "He's the only one we ever have to actually _look for_ anymore. If the kid's responsible enough for all the shit he's already handling, I think Zack can trust him with a phone."

"So give him one, if you're so concerned," interjected Reno. "No one will object and we all already know you care about the kid, yo. I think even Silver knows that you care…"

"He better, the little pain in the ass…" Cid suddenly stopped and turned to the Turk. "If you can use both hands then why the hell do you need my help with this part of the project?"

"I don't, yo." The redhead did not look up from the fan he was expertly fastening into place. "I just didn't see any reason to stop you when you suddenly started helping. Who knows, it could have been some weird bonding thing you were trying now that you're going soft."

Cid dropped his wrench and grabbed his pack of cigarettes. "I ain't going soft and of all the idiots here to bond with, I wouldn't have picked you. I'm going to the damn phone shop…"

"Oh yeah; no soft spots there, yo."

Reno snorted as he caught a shop towel before it could strike him in the head while marking the blueprints with the other. He had learned of a new ability (or rather named an old one), was soon going to be able to fly again, had an entertaining afternoon, and would be spending the evening with Cloud.

…Sometimes life was just good.


	249. Canister

_Prompt: Canister_

_Given by: Lapse - Raevn_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Implied Zack/Aerith, Leon/Riku, Cloud/Reno, Post-Sephiroth/OC _

_-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Cloud, Zack, and Reno were delivering some supplies to Reeve and Vincent in Midgar, and Riku and Yuffie had decided to come along to see Vincent as well as to check on how the other city was coming along. 

It was not long before Yuffie bored with listening to the others plans for the reconstruction of the city and wanted to explore the ruins. Not thinking it wise for anyone to wander around on their own, Riku and Cloud volunteered to accompany the hyperactive ninja, as they were the least involved in the discussion anyway.

Cloud soon regretted this, as he was the only one who knew the city well and was therefore questioned in excess, mainly by Yuffie, as he followed behind the other two.

"Hey, what was that building?" questioned the petite ninja as she pointed to what remained of a building much taller than those in Radiant Garden.

The spiky-haired man simply glanced at the ruins once. "That was an apartment complex."

"Wow, those are much bigger then the apartment complexes back on the islands," commented Riku calmly.

"Well they would be," replied the ex-SOLDIER, glad to be speaking to someone who was not bouncing on their heels. "There used to be a lot more people here; more than Radiant Garden or even Balamb."

"What about Esthar City?" asked the silvered adolescent. "Were they about the same size?"

"Yeah, I think so," replied Cloud, looking at the back of the teen's head thoughtfully. "I never went to Esthar, but I actually heard it was a lot nicer than Midgar...less oppressive. How do you know about it?"

"My mom was from there," remarked Riku softly. "Squall went to a mercenary school there too, before everything happened...he just finished his training after everyone left."

"Yeah, I knew about that one," interjected Cloud. "I didn't know he talked about it though. I guess I shouldn't be surprised."

"Why not?" questioned Yuffie. "He barely talks to any of us about that stuff."

"We aren't Riku," remarked the blonde man. "Do you think Zack and Aerith or Tifa and Rude don't tell each other things they don't tell the rest of us?"

"Good point," conceded the hyperactive ninja thoughtfully; "Hey, what about you and Reno?"

"We aren't the…" The ex-SOLDIER's voice faded as his chain of thought broke. A distantly familiar buzzing has awoken in the back of his mind. He turned his head to check the boy beside him, but found himself staring at empty space.

"Where'd Riku go?" Cloud rolled his eyes when the petite woman standing a few feet away looked around curiously and then shrugged.

Mako blue eyes immediately turned to the direction that made the buzzing grow stronger. He could see the silver-haired boy standing on a pile of rubble at the base of what used to be another building. Riku's head was tilted down, and his turquoise eyes were fixed on something. Those expressive eyes looked torn; a part of the teen was clearly curious about something, but he also seemed frightened by it.

Cloud walked around the rubble to climb up behind the boy, ignoring Yuffie's queries about what was going on as he walked away from her. As soon as the spiky-haired man stepped onto the mound behind the boy, his eyes fell on the object that had caught the teenager's attention.

It was a black, indiscreet, rectangular canister that was in surprisingly good condition for this location. The buzzing in the back of Cloud's mind grew stronger yet.

Mako blue eyes widened upon recognising the canister. He grabbed Riku by the waist and pulled him further away from it, putting himself between the object and the boy. "Don't touch it."

Riku released a shaky breath and blinked a few times as though clearing his head. "What is that thing…? It's like its alive…but its dark…"

"Block it out like you do Sephiroth," Cloud demanded as he turned to face the boy completely, still holding the teen in place, just in case.

The fear seemed to overtake the curiosity in the silvered adolescent's eyes at the man's reaction. Riku nodded and closed his eyes as he grabbed Cloud's exposed forearm with one of his hands. The blonde man recalled Zack saying that his own presence seemed to help the boy when issues caused by his heritage arose. Cloud wondered if he was able to help as well.

Then the buzzing in Cloud's mind faded and he realised the boy had actually been helping him. 

Turquoise eyes opened again. "What do we do about that thing?"

"I'm going to call the others," replied Cloud as he pulled out his cell phone. "They'll have a better idea and I don't think either of us should handle this."

Riku glanced at the canister again. "Do you know what it is?" 

"Yeah…uh, just give me a second…" The ex-SOLDIER then heard Vincent answer over the phone. "Vincent, you need to get over here. Bring Zack and Reeve…and Reno too. Zack can find us."

"Is Zack okay?" questioned Riku.

"How is Zack?" Cloud glanced at the boy. "He's fine. They're on their way."

"Yuffie, stay down there and keep an eye open for Vincent and the others," The spiky-haired man called as he put away his phone. Then, he turned to Riku, who was watching him with obvious interest. "Okay…You aren't feeling unstable or anything right now, are you?"

The teenager shook his head with a quizzical expression. Cloud sighed; "It's Jenova."

"Excuse me?" Riku's gaze flickered to the canister again.

"It's a sample of Jenova's cells," the ex-SOLDIER elaborated, watching the boy carefully. "There isn't a body left anymore…that's all she is."

"But she can still…" The silvered adolescent looked at Cloud in confusion; "How does she affect him like that if she can't even…how does she have a consciousness?"

"I don't know if I'm the best person to explain, but her consciousness exists at a cellular level. Since her cells exist in Sephiroth …and you…she still exists and she can still affect him."

Fear and nervousness entered the boy's eyes. "What about me…can she do that to me?"

"Zack says no…"

"But…?"

"But what?" Riku glared slightly and Cloud cursed inwardly. "Okay…Zack, Vincent, Merlin, and the king looked over your mother's research on you and Sephiroth and they all agreed you should have a stronger defence against her than he does, but you're open to him the way he is to her."

Riku looked down worriedly. "Is that what's happening when I have to push him out? He can't use me like Xehanort's Heartless did, can he?"

Cloud grew more concerned as he cursed himself again and hoped that the others would arrive any second. "They don't think so…not with the way you can block him out. You have better control over that part of you."

The turquoise-eyed boy did not look relieved. "Why is that? I know Zack explained it to you…he would have had to for you to back off me after you found out."

The blue-eyed man ran a hand though his hair and released a heavy breath. "You know how Zack and I have Sephiroth's cells in us, right? Well, we don't have as many as he has of Jenova's, so she can't quite effect us like she can him…the bond isn't as strong. We also aren't as powerful as him because they weren't pure and they were added later in life."

Riku nodded, "But I was actually conceived with mine and they make up half my DNA…but mine still aren't Jenova's cells right? They're my dad's…just like yours…"

"Not quite," interjected the ex-SOLDIER. "Look, I don't know as much as Zack and Vincent do and I don't understand what I do know as well as they do either, but I do know that you're DNA is more like hers than even Sephiroth's. It's like...the cells blended even better since you were, as you said, conceived with them. From a scientist's standpoint, you might as well be half of whatever she is."

The teenager lowered his face and eyes again, but not before Cloud glimpsed the distant and frightened expression he had gained. Suddenly, Riku turned his head to the side slightly. His voice was soft and distant when he spoke, "Zack's coming…I'll tell him what I've learned after we figure out what to do about that…_her_…"

Cloud nodded; Zack would not be pleased, but there was not anything that could be done about it now…Riku knew more then they had wanted. However, the blonde man did not like the dejected look that the boy had gained. "Riku, this…it doesn't change anything. It doesn't mean you suddenly aren't human anymore, just because you know."

"It means I was never entirely human to begin with," replied the silver-haired boy. "Thank you, Cloud."

The ex-SOLDIER looked startled by this statement. "You're okay?"

Riku's expression did not change as he nodded slightly. "I always felt…different. I thought there was just something wrong with me…now I know what it is. I know there's more to it all than what I know, and I still don't mind if Zack would rather keep it that way, but at least I know what I am…and that it doesn't matter to the people who are the most important to me. I don't like it, but if they can accept it, then so can I."

Cloud studied the adolescent for a moment, until he heard Yuffie calling to the others. Then he smiled slightly. "Zack doesn't have to worry about you nearly as much as he does…but I guess that's just a dad thing, huh?"

Riku grinned softly as well, "I guess it is."

"For what it's worth, I agree with what you said before," commented Cloud before the others could reach them. "I don't like what you are -and not for the reasons you might think- but I can accept it too."

"I don't think Zack has to worry about you as much either, but I can understand…I'm not much better when it comes to Sora." The teenager glanced back at the ex-SOLDIER. "You're a good friend, Cloud."

"So are you, kid."

Riku smirked, "Now let's drop the sappy moment before Reno and Yuffie find out and never let us live it down…"


	250. Irony

_Prompt: Irony_

_Given by: Lapse - Raevn_

_Setting: Destiny Islands; Pre-KH_

_Pairings: None; Implied Post-Sephiroth/OC_

* * *

"Hey _Freak_, where you going?"

"Why don't you stay and play, _Pretty_ _Boy_? Afraid you might actually get dirty?"

"What, you don't want to mess up your _grandma_-coloured hair?"

"Going to go sit by yourself on that island _again _since no one wants to play with a _freak _like you?"

Turquoise eyes rolled as the eight year old under attack continued walking. He understood that he was different, and he looked it, but he did not understand why this particular group of kids seemed to care about all of that so much. He was not anyone to them…and if he did bother them so much, then he did not see why they did not just avoid him as he did them.

"Hey _Pretty Boy_, we're talking to you!"

"Yeah _freak_! What, are you too _delicate _to stay and play?"

"Maybe _that's _why he's so _pale_!"

Now the same turquoise eyes were narrowed slightly. He knew he was not _that _pale, he just did not tan the way everyone else on the islands did. He did not know why, just as he did not know why his hair and eyes were different from everyone else's or why he looked so much _prettier_ than the other boys did. He was just different. Was that really so bad? He was starting to think so…

"Hey _freak_!"

"Oh _Pretty Boy_, we're talking to you!"

…And why for the love of Shiva could they not come up with new taunts and nicknames after nearly two years of jeering?

He knew he could defeat these boys, both mentally and physically, but that would only cause further problems. They clearly just wanted his attention and his mother would be upset with him for fighting or succumbing to their taunts.

Therefore, with a heavy sigh and clenched fists, Riku decided to continue to pretend to ignore the other boys. He debated pulling Thackary out of his backpack, but that would probably just add fuel to the bullies' fire.

Then suddenly, a juice box struck one of the bullies in the head and another voice shouted out, "Hey! Stop being so mean to him! He's nice!"

Riku and the bullies all turned to see another little boy, standing with his hands on his hips and a scowl on his face. The silver-haired child immediately recognised Sora, the son of one of his mother's co-workers who often babysat Riku. He also used to have 'play-dates' with Sora when his mother was trying to get him to fit in and make friends. Riku had not seen the point at the time. He was content to be by himself and they would only end up being separated when his father returned, as he had been sure he would back then. Now, he was not so sure.

"What shrimp? Is Pretty Boy your _girlfriend_?"

"Get out of here _Spiky_, this isn't kiddie hour."

"Yeah brat, go home before your late for your naptime."

Turquoise eyes rolled again. Sora was about eight or nine months younger than Riku, which meant he was a full year younger than the bullies were at best. Clearly, their lack of creative insults was not restricted to himself only. However, Sora was still younger…and smaller.

Now turquoise eyes were narrowed again. Riku could not help but wonder whom these kids thought they were to pick on someone like Sora. He never hurt anyone and it was far from a fair fight. Riku doubted that Sora even knew how to fight properly. The boy was rather clumsy.

"Leave him alone," Riku said as one of the bullies shoved the little brunette boy, who was still glowering in a way that he clearly thought was threatening. However, those puppy-dog eyes were simply not designed to be fearsome.

"Oh, so the freak doesn't like us picking on his boyfriend?"

"Just leave him alone," repeated the silver-haired boy as he approached the group to stand closer to Sora.

"_Oooh_, Pretty Boy's trying to be tough."

"He's tougher than you are, you big jerk!" Sora had resumed his 'threatening' stance and expression. He seemed even more confident now that Riku was apparently backing him up.

One of the bullies snorted. "Yeah right, the freak probably can't even hit a Blitzball over the net."

"He could too," The spiky-haired boy defended immediately. "He's climbed higher, explored further, and ran faster then any of us when he's on the play islands…he can swordfight too, I've seen him practising and he's _really _good!"

Riku made sure not to react to this for the bullies' sake, but he could not help but wonder when and why the other boy had been watching him. He never raced or played with the other kids on the islands, opting to stay by himself by the Paopu tree that the others seemed to reverie. He had run, climbed, and explored the small island, as well as practiced there, but he never knew any of the others were paying attention. However, he guessed it was true that he could beat any of them if they were ever to compete.

"Shut up, shrimp. No one believes you."

"Yeah, you think we're scared of you or your little _girlfriend_?"

"He's _not _my girlfriend!" The blue-eyed boy seemed even angrier now. "He's my _friend_! Not that you would now, since no one wants to be friends with _jerks _like you guys!"

"What did you just say, shrimp?"

"I think you understood him just fine," commented Riku with a small smirk. "Unless you actually _are _as stupid as you look."

"At least none of us look like a _girl_!"

"Yeah, freak! You're-_ow_!"

The bullies' attention returned to Sora as he had just kicked one of them in the shin. "Stop calling him a freak! You're just jealous 'cause he's better at everything than you!"

Riku blinked at this and noted that Sora had a point with that theory. He wondered if that actually was the reasoning behind all the tormenting. He had always thought they simply did not like him because he was different, but he also thought that picking on the freak would still get boring after a while.

"I'm not jealous of that freak!"

"Gee, that didn't sound defensive," remarked the silver-haired boy.

"What does _that _mean?!"

Riku rolled his eyes again, "Shiva, you really _are _that dumb."

Sora obviously deemed that a good place to jump in again, "Yeah, so get your stupid butts out of here before we kick them!"

Riku thought that Sora might have just pushed it a bit too far. He really had not wanted to fight. However, he was sure his mother would understand…assuming she found out about it. It was not as though he could just let Sora be pummelled by three boys who were bigger and stronger than he was, especially since he had been trying to defend Riku the whole time.

"What are you talking about, shrimp?"

"Yeah, you couldn't kick a guinea pig's butt!"

"I can kick yours!" Sora stepped forward, fist up threateningly, although he clearly knew nothing about style or strategy.

Therefore, it really did not surprise Riku that it was obvious the other boy would be able to strike first. He stepped up to catch the other boy's fist before it could hit his newfound friend and had truly only intended to try to stop the fight. However, his other hand seemed to move of its own accord, and the next thing the turquoise-eyed boy knew, he had caught the bully's fist with one hand and struck him in the nose with the other.

The boy fell back, nose bleeding and eyes wide. Then his eyes narrowed and he pointed at the two smaller boys, "Ged dem!"

His friends moved in right away.

Once again, Riku reacted off instinct, and soon the other two bullies were lying on the floor as well. Riku was shocked, Sora was ecstatic.

"And that was just a warning!" commented the spiky-haired boy. "Next time, we're really going to let you have it!"

Riku turned to look at the other boy sceptically. Sora had gotten in one punch through the entire fight and Riku doubted it had intended to hit the other boy where he actually did, judging by the pleasantly surprised expression on his face when the blow struck the unsuspecting boy's kidney.

"Come on, Sora," Riku turned and the other boy followed. "Let's go do our homework."

"Okay!" The other boy's tone had changed notably from the angry one he had been using until now. In fact, his entire demeanour had altered. "Hey, do you think you could show me how to fight like that?"

Riku shrugged; "Okay, but we should do it at the play islands…our moms might not like us sparring inside."

"Great!" Sora smiled broadly and held up a single fist. "Give me a little while, and I bet no one on any of the islands will be able to beat us!"

Riku chuckled at the other boy's ego. "You might want to wait before you start announcing that…"

Sora suddenly turned to Riku with interest. "Hey, you've been in the haunted shack, right?"

The older boy blinked at the sudden shift in subject and mood. "The 'haunted shack'…?"

By the time they reached Sora's house, the two young boys had made plans to visit the haunted shack, which Riku protested was not haunted; the 'ghost sounds' were made by the wind moving through the cracks and coming down the stairs. They had also made plans to start sparring later that week, Riku had agreed to help Sora with his science homework, and Sora had invited Riku to stay at his house for dinner that night.

As his mom picked him up that evening, Riku decided that having a friend was not pointless at all anymore.


	251. Velvet

_Prompt: Velvet_

_Given by: Lapse - Raevn_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Leon/Riku, Zell/Quistis, Edea/Cid_

* * *

"This was a good idea," Leon murmured to Riku as they watched the children from the orphanage search for Easter eggs.

The silvered adolescent smiled softly. "I told you you'd like it."

Leon offered his own small smile in return, "Why do you think I came?"

After having helped Quistis and Zell paint all of the eggs earlier, they were both sitting on the grass, enjoying the spring weather and each other's company.

"Leon, did you make a Griever egg?" asked Quistis as she approached with a small boy whom she was helping to gather eggs.

As Gunblade wielder shook his head, Riku spoke up. "No, that was me…was that a bad idea?"

"Oh no," commented the blonde woman with a smile. "One of the kids was just happy that he found the 'Leon egg'…"

"Now one of them found a egg with Cloud's wolf-thing on it, but it's been decided that 'Leon egg' is cooler," commented Zell as he approached. He wrapped his arms around Quistis and kissed the back of her neck. "The kids are all really happy with everything…"

"You guys did a great job with all the arrangements," agreed the steel-eyed man as he laced his fingers with Riku's discreetly. "Have you considered taking over when Edea and Cid retire?"

Quistis smiled serenely as she nodded, "The orphanage meant so much to us…"

"Yeah, if it weren't for Edea and Cid, I don't think I ever would have been adopted by such great people," added Zell with a grin.

Leon smiled back at his friends. "I think you'll do a great job."

"Thanks," Zell turned to Riku, "And thanks for your help too."

Leon quirked an eyebrow at his young lover as the boy waved off the gratitude. Quistis left to continue helping the little boy search for eggs and Zell joined Leon and Riku on the grass.

"I'm surprised I like this stuff so much," commented the tattooed man. "I never expected to be doing this kind of thing."

"I never expected to be practically in charge of the whole town and in love with a teenager, but it fits," replied Leon calmly with a small shrug, causing both Zell and Riku to look at him quickly.

Blue eyes then turned to meet turquoise. "I officially love you now, kid. He was _never _like this until you entered the picture."

Riku shook his head slowly. "Squall was always like this, he just never voiced it before…and I think everything that happened affected that as much as I did."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," replied the blonde man with a grin as he stood. His attention then returned to the surrounding children. "It looks like they've almost finished with the egg hunt. I'm going to get the cake set up."

"Need any help?" offered the silver-haired teen.

"No, I got it." Zell left them with a smile on his face.

Leon and Riku soon stood and followed as Quistis and Edea led all of the children under the awning where they had set up the cake and snacks. Zell handed his girlfriend a knife to carve the cake, which was in the form of a huge Easter Bunny.

Leon frowned, as Riku suddenly looked mildly concerned. "Er…Zell? Is this what you needed that cake recipe for?"

"Yeah, that's Quistis' favourite and I figured the kids would like the bright colour," replied the tattooed man with an easily smile, which faded quickly as he returned his gaze to his girlfriend, who was several feet away. "Wait, you don't think…"

"Yeah…" Leon was watching Riku curiously now, as the boy seemed prepared for something unpleasant to happen.

"What are you-?"

Leon stopped speaking as Riku stepped forward, but then Riku stilled as several gasps sounded around the table. The scarred man turned and saw that Quistis had stopped in the middle of placing a slice of cake on a plate. She held a crimson-coated knife in her hand and her eyes were wide as she was clearly thinking quickly. At first, the Gunblade wielder was afraid that she cut herself, but then he realised the red substance was actually cake.

For all the world, it looked as though Quistis has just brutally chopped off one of the Easter Bunny's paws.

"He asked for a recipe for red velvet cake?" questioned Leon dryly.

Riku nodded, "I didn't know what it was for…"

Then one of the older children sniggered and commented that Quistis killed the Easter Bunny. Even as Edea began to scold the slightly older boy, the younger children started to cry.

Soon all of the children were crying or fretting, and Edea, Headmaster Cid, Quistis, and Zell were trying to calm them. Leon felt something tug on one of the straps on his pants and looked down to see a pale boy holding a stuffed rabbit and staring up at him in confusion. He recognised him as the small boy Quistis had been helping earlier.

"Some of the bigger kids said you killed the Easter Bunny…you didn't, did you Mr. Mayor?"

"No," Leon assured as he glanced over to check Riku, only to discover that the teen had disappeared. "No one killed the Easter Bunny…and I'm not the mayor."

The boy's eyes flicked over the scene suspiciously. "Why is that knife all red?"

Leon responded in a deadpan, "Because my friend is an idiot and he made a red bunny cake."

"Oh," the little boy said with a nod. Then his eyes flicked to something on the other side of the scarred man. "Sneeze alert."

"What-" The steel-eyed man turned as he began to ask, but he never had the chance to finish the question. No sooner had he turned than a redheaded boy standing on his other side sneezed, spraying what appeared to be chunks of hard-boiled egg across Leon's thighs.

"Thanks," he mumbled as the pale child handed him an Easter-themed napkin before turning and padding away.

Leon looked up from wiping off his pants when he heard Zell speaking loudly for most of the kids to hear. "Look it's only cake, see…?"

Quistis looked at her boyfriend nervously as he lifted the slice of cake towards his face. "Zell, that might not be-"

"Now they're eating the Easter Bunny!" called a blonde boy, who had also first pointed out that Quistis had 'killed' said bunny. Leon decided that he really did not like that child.

Another voice cut over the commotion of the panicking children and the adults who were trying to calm them; "Hey everyone…it's the Easter Bunny…"

All of the kids turned to see Riku pointing to a man in large bunny suit, holding a basket of candy and walking toward them with an odd gate that was clearly meant to be a hop.

The silvered teenager jumped out of the way as all the kids cheered and charged the Easter Bunny, who promptly starting swearing at them.

"Hey you little bastards, keep your damn hands to yourselves. I got enough of this shit for everyone so mind your manners. What the hell-" The 'Easter Bunny' paused when Riku started motioning for him to reel it in. "Yeah, yeah…Happy Easter, here's some jelly beans…"

"You got _that_ Cid to be the Easter Bunny?" Leon asked Zell, who was smiling again now that the kids were happy once more. "How did you pull that one off?"

"Not me," replied the tattooed man. "What did you think I was thanking Riku for earlier?"

"The cake," answered Leon as he watched Quistis and Riku help Cid pass out the Easter Bunny's treats. "I don't even want to know how he got Cid to agree to this."

"From what I heard, it sounds like he just asked." Zell shrugged, "It doesn't sound right, but Reno usually knows what he's talking about."

"That he does," commented Riku as he joined the two men away from the group of kids. "I'm surprised he told though, after the warning Cid gave him."

"I'm sure they reached some sort of agreement," stated Zell. "I'm going to help Quistis."

As the tattooed man walked away, Riku stepped closer to his boyfriend. He suddenly tilted his head slightly. "What do you have smeared over your lap?"

"I think its egg." The scarred man smirked slightly. "And do you now how wrong that sounded?"

The turquoise-eyed boy smirked back. "Probably about as wrong as that looks…"

"Yeah, I should go change; I think I've had enough festivities anyway." Steel-blue eyes quickly scanned the area before Leon placed a hand on the small of Riku's back. "Do you want to come to my place?"

The teenager grinned, "Yeah. For once, I don't think anyone will be looking for either of us… Do you want to bring some cake?"

Leon smirked as he let his hand drop while they turned. "Sure, I don't think any of these kids are going to be eating it anyway."

Riku chuckled and then glanced at the scarred man, "Happy Easter, Squall."

"Happy Easter, Riku."


	252. Brittle

_Prompt: Brittle_

_Given by: catchmeloon_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Leon/Riku, Zack/Aerith, Cloud/Reno, Post-Sephiroth/OC_

_Author's note: This one follows Feathers, although I tried to make it stand alone as well. In addition, this is one of the stories here that definitely fits the T rating. I was originally going to skip this part of this arc, but catchmeloon really wanted to see the Cloud-Riku squick and I already knew how I wanted it to go, so why not? Thank you for reading and enjoy._

* * *

Cloud entered Zack's kitchen to find Reno, jacket removed and sleeves folded above his elbows, standing over a large, steaming pot. The blonde man furrowed his brows slightly at the sight. "What are you doing?"

"Sterilising, yo; I didn't know what approach you were going to take, but I figured you weren't going to just rip it out." The redhead grabbed a pair of prongs and began pulling knifes out of the boiling water. "I got my stiletto, a cleaver, a heavy ass chef knife, and an electric carving knife…it's the one Zack used on Thanksgiving."

Azure eyes blinked. "How are you this calm?"

"I'm not, I'm just me," replied the Turk with a small shrug as he set the last of the cutlery down on some paper towels. "And I'm used to doing to what needs to be done, yo. Aren't you?"

The ex-SOLDIER nodded slowly as he continued to watch Reno. "Where are they?"

The Turk indicated the direction of the main bathroom with his head, "In the tub. Silver's gone into shock already…aside from the pain and blood loss, I think there's more to it then just the wing. Fair's in full daddy mode, still has plenty of SOLDIER in him though. All I can say is fuck Sephiroth and Riku's special abilities; if anyone messes with that kid after this, my money is on Fair taking them down first."

The redhead gathered the sterilised knives in the paper towel and turned to Cloud. "You ready, yo?"

Cloud nodded again, looking toward the doorway. Reno frowned, "Look, comforting and pep talks aren't exactly my forte, yo…but you're helping Silver and Fair out a lot by doing this. Just keep thinking that. Come on; let's get this done."

The blonde man took the lead as they headed into the bathroom. He noticed a trail of blood and feathers as he walked through the house. He still could not believe that this had happened.

As soon as Cloud entered the bathroom, his eyes fell on his best friend, kneeling in the bathtub and holding his godchild as he whispered to the boy quietly. Riku sat on his knees, hunched over, and was fisting the front of Zack's shirt as his face rested against the man's shoulder. The teen was frighteningly pale, and had bloodstains on his wet jeans as well as the single silver wing that protruded from behind his left shoulder blade.

The blonde man could only stare for a moment. He was surprised at the size and colour of the wing, and even more so that he was so relieved it did not look at all like Sephiroth's did. Cloud knew he had been cruel to Riku upon first learning of who the boy's father was, but most of his uncertainty and animosity had come from _who _Sephiroth was…not _what_. Now, he suddenly realised that the what had affected the who and he wondered why he had never realised just what Zack had been afraid of all along as he tried to keep the boy from learning too much too quickly.

The azure-eyed man wondered if this alteration meant the teen was doomed to follow the same path as the others. It seemed to him that the closer the Jenova projects got to 'perfection' the less stable they were emotionally and mentally…and this boy was supposed to be _the _perfect blend of human and angel. This recent development only proved it, and Cloud was less sure of what to make of that fact then ever before.

A sound beside him drew Cloud from his thoughts as Reno laid the knives he had brought on the counter, where he already had several potions and bandages waiting. There was a stack of clean towels on the toilet. The redhead cleared his throat.

Zack looked up at the other two men in the room. He was clearly nervous and upset. "…Hey, Cloud."

"Hey..." The spiky-haired man realised he had not blinked while he had been staring. "How is he?" He did not mean physically and he knew his friend understood this when violet eyes narrowed slightly.

"He's still Riku, Cloud. He's in a lot of pain and he's scared, but he was talking earlier and it's definitely still Ku." Zack had one arm wrapped around the boy's waist, and the other had been stroking his arm, but now moved to wrap around the teen's shoulders.

"H-he can also hear you…" Riku murmured weakly without moving his face away from Zack's shoulder. The raven-haired man immediacy started speaking to the boy in a calm, low voice.

Cloud suddenly blinked. "He's conscious."

"Yeah, he's in shock, remember?" commented Reno. "I doubt he'll be able to feel much, yo."

"How…?" The blonde man motioned toward the boy's new appendage. He hated that he could not help but doubt that this had not changed the teen more than they thought, but he knew now was not the time to ask about it. Therefore, he decided to follow Reno's earlier advice. "How are we going to do this?"

"Fair holds Silver, you take out the wing, I'll make sure the kid doesn't bleed to death," stated Reno as though listing off simple chores like taking out the rubbish.

Azure eyes darted from the nauseating appendage protruding from the adolescent's back to Zack's worried face. The former colonel had been better trained in emergency medical procedures than Cloud had.

The violet-eyed man took a deep and slightly ragged breath before glancing down hid godson's back. "I hate to say it, but I think it's better to treat this more like carving a game hen than a battlefield amputation. We don't just want to cut it off…we want to remove it completely." The raven-haired man swallowed thickly and reinforced his grip around the teenager.

Cloud nodded, "I've never done either. If you think I can do it, then just tell me what to do."

Zack nodded once, opened his mouth as though to speak, closed it without saying a word, and then dropped his face so his forehead rested against the back of Riku's head. He took a deep breath and then raised his head to meet Cloud's gaze again, his own looked worried but determined and confident. The blonde immediately felt assured as his friend told him what to do in a steady tone. "You're going to have to dislocate the wing first…you'll probably break it in the process, so try not to adjust your grip on it afterwards. Then you have to cut it out at the joint…try to stay as close to the bone as you can and ease the wing away as you cut. When you've severed it entirely, pull it straight out as quickly and cleanly as you can. We want to do this as fast as possible, but we don't want to be sloppy either…do you-"

"I'll do it," Cloud assured the other man. He understood why Reno called him now; he was stronger than the Turk was, but did not have the attachment to Riku that Zack did. The blonde man nodded again. "Are you ready?"

Zack glanced down at Riku, "Ku…?" The teenager nodded slightly. Zack tightened his hold and nodded to the other two men.

Cloud stepped into the tub behind Riku and placed one hand on the adolescent's bare back. The teen was cold to the touch, shivering, and breathing erratically. The ex-SOLDIER gripped the wing and paused for a moment when it twitched and Riku shuddered.

"Pull up and to me, do it quick," stated Zack, who was looking paler himself now.

Cloud had barely jerked the appendage upwards when he heard a brittle snapping sound and Riku called out in pain. Zack dropped his head atop the boy's again and must have been holding him painfully tight at that point. Cloud's eyes widened…it had not occurred to him that the bones would be hollow.

"Keep moving, yo," Reno yelled.

That was enough to prompt the spiky-haired man back into motion. "The stiletto," he called.

The redhead handed him the knife, and then his hand darted to the crook of Riku's neck. The boy fell silent and the wing stopped twitching just before Reno pulled his hand away. Cloud suspected the teen would have slumped if Zack had not been holding him so tightly.

The ex-SOLDIER followed his friend and former colonel's directions mindlessly until the job was complete. Once his part was finished, Cloud pressed against the back of the tub so he was out of the way as Reno and Zack quickly treated the wound.

A few minutes later, Zack carried Riku to his room, and Cloud realised he was still clutching the wing. "What do we do with this?"

"For now just drop the damn thing. We'll bag it and burn it out in the maw later…get rid of the proof." The Turk was washing his hands at the sink. "Want to clean up? You look like a mass murderer, yo."

After cleaning themselves up, both men headed to the sitting room. Reno closed the bathroom door behind them, "We'll let Fair or Mrs. Fair handle clean-up while we torch the evidence later."

"Zack and I are going to have to talk," commented Cloud dully as he looked out the window.

"No shit," replied Reno as he sat on the sofa. "Stone Cold and the royal rodent are gonna want to hear about this ASAP too."

"Would you get Leon and ask him to contact the king?" questioned the azure-eyed man as he turned to look at the Turk. "I'd like to talk to Zack a little before everyone gets here."

"Sure thing, yo;" The redhead stood and eyed Cloud over before heading toward the door. "First I'm gonna bring you a change of clothes…I think Stone Cold will be easier to talk to when you aren't wearing several litres of his uke's blood."

"Reno," the ex-SOLDIER waited until the Turk paused in the doorway and glanced back at him. "Thanks."

Reno rolled his eyes as he turned again, "I expect a lot more than that later, yo."


	253. Venerable

_Prompt: Venerable _

_Given by: catchmeloon_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Zack/Aerith, Leon/Riku, Cloud/Reno, Post-Sephiroth/OC, Post-Vincent/Lucrecia_

* * *

"Hi Cloud, Zack…How are you guys doing?" asked Yuffie as she suddenly dropped in front of the two men from the nearby rooftops.

"Hey Yuffie, we're doing fine," answered Zack with a grin as Cloud merely stared at the hyperactive woman's abrupt appearance. "How are you?"

"Awesome as always," said Yuffie with a smile.

"That's good," the two ex-SOLDIERs parted to pass the petite ninja. "We'll see you later. Have-"

"Hey," Yuffie scurried around to stand in front of the two men again. "What's the rush? We haven't talked in ages… What have you been up to? Is the flower shop coming along well? How is the family life treating you? Aerith always seems so happy since the wedding and Riku just adores you, you know…"

The two males shared a curious look as the brown-eyed woman babbled on. Then Zack held up a hand, "Whoa, slow down, Yuffie. I've been doing the same thing everyone else has, which is helping rebuild the town and pick up the pieces of my life. The flower shop has its frame and roof completed, so it's going well. I love the family life. You know all of this. Everyone knows it…Cloud was even just complaining that I'm constantly talking about Aerith or Riku and my future plans with both of them."

"Well what about you Cloud?" questioned the hyperactive ninja without missing a beat. "How are things going with Reno? Have you guys-"

"Yuffie," interrupted the raven-haired man. "You wouldn't be trying to keep us here for anything, would you?"

"Of course not," replied the petite brunette in mock-annoyance. "You can go anywhere you want…as long as it isn't home."

Violet eyes blinked. "…And why can't I go home?"

"Because…you'll interrupt."

Blonde eyebrows rose while black ones narrowed; "Interrupt what?"

"Um…" Yuffie stared at him for a moment, clearly trying to think of a suitable response.

Cloud suddenly glanced at Zack, "Have you seen Leon recently?"

Violet eyes widened as Zack returned his attention to Yuffie. "That better not be it."

"It isn't, it isn't!" Yuffie held a hand against the ex-SODLIER's chest to stop him from passing her again. "Leon and Cid are busy in the computer room. I pulled some wires and it'll take them a bit to figure out that it isn't the program…"

"You what...?" Zack frowned. "What is Riku doing that you-?"

"Okay, first of all," interjected the hyperactive woman, now that it was clear neither of the ex-SOLDIERs were going to rush past her. "Riku actually didn't have anything to do with this…I set it up without telling him either."

For the first time that Yuffie had seen, Zack look as impatient and irritated as Cloud. "Set what up?"

"Okay, well I know I don't know everything that's going on lately, but it's obvious that Riku was doing really well and then something happened to change that." The petite ninja looked at the two men seriously. "He was suddenly talking to more than just a few people and was actually looking up so we could see his face. He snuck little kisses and hand squeezes with Leon when no one was around that could cause trouble for them. He even played on the light cycles with me and started joking with Cid more. And he was obviously getting closer to you…he even slipped and referred to you as his dad once-"

"He did?" The violet-eyed man looked torn between distress and delight.

Yuffie nodded and Cloud glanced at his best friend. "It isn't that surprising, you know."

"He's right," agreed Yuffie. "Anyway, then something happened a few days ago and it's like all that progress disappeared. He stopped meeting anybody's eyes gain, he doesn't talk, he doesn't smile, and it doesn't look like he sleeps or eats much either. And you don't look so hot yourself…in fact; you look like you've been up a few nights worrying about something."

Zack and Cloud both frowned now. They each knew there was no point in arguing.

The usually hyperactive woman sighed and then met Zack's gaze again. "There are only two things I can figure that could have done this to him; Ansem or whatever he's called or something to do with Sephiroth or Jenova. Usually, if something's up, either you, Squall, or Cid corners him on it and then he's much better after he talks to you. I guess this time; none of you could help him that much…"

Suddenly, the petite ninja smiled. "So I called his grandpa."

"Wait," Cloud blinked in confusion. "You called Vincent? …And he came?"

"Yeah; unlike you, Vincent actually listens when I talk to him."

The blonde man did not look any less confused. "But what can Vincent do? I think Riku would be more comfortable talking to Zack…unless…"

The violet-eyed man caught on to his friend's thoughts. "He isn't telling Ku everything is he?"

"No, one of the first things he said was that you and him and King Mickey decided it was best not to tell Riku too much," replied Yuffie, who clearly disagreed with this approach. "But I told him that _that _didn't matter…I just want him to do what my grandpa would do."

Zack shook his head slowly, "Which is…?"

"Tell him stories," the ninja replied as though it were obvious.

"Riku's almost seventeen Yuffie, I think it's going to take more than stories to make him feel better," commented Cloud dryly.

"Wait," Zack looked thoughtful. "What kind of stories is he telling him?"

"You know, stories from the good old days before the bad stuff, and of the battles he's fought, and about Riku's grandma, and-"

"We get it, Yuffie," Cloud interjected. "I still can't quite picture Vincent doing that though…or that helping Riku."

"Why not?" Yuffie placed her hands on her hips and easily met the azure-eyed man's gaze. "He probably knows just how Riku feels. He might not have Jenova cells or Sephiroth cells or darkness -whatever's eating at _you_- but he has Chaos…and he learned to deal with it. Unlike you, he doesn't just-"

"I think she's onto something here, Cloud," interrupted Zack. He suddenly smirked slightly. "I don't know why that never occurred to me before…"

"You wonder why you never thought to ask Vincent to fly out here to tell Riku stories?" questioned Cloud.

"Well it sounds stupid when you say it like _that_," muttered Yuffie.

The raven-haired man continued speaking as though they had not interrupted. "Vincent knows more about Jenova than anyone alive and sane does, but he also has a personal reason to be affected by Sephiroth's actions that has nothing to do with S cells. Unlike me, he knows what it feels like to lose yourself to another presence, to feel something in you that doesn't belong there, and to have to both use and refrain that something. He also knows what it's like to feel partially responsible for the death of a loved one, to be used and manipulated, and most importantly in this instance, to not be sure of your own humanity…if anyone can relate to what Riku must be feeling right now, it's probably Vincent. In addition, they both really respect each other. I think them talking to one another could do some good."

Cloud blinked, "That actually makes sense…"

Yuffie glared and hit the blonde man's arm, "No need to sound so surprised!"

Zack smiled at the petite ninja, "Thanks Yuffie…this was a really good idea."

The brown-eyed woman smiled back. "Hey, always happy to help a friend; Besides, Vincent needed some bonding time with his grandson anyway."

The violet-eyed man chuckled. "You're never going to drop the grandpa thing, are you?"

"Of course not, but Vincent knows I'm only doing it because I love him." The hyperactive ninja grinned again, "And now that Vincent has me, Riku, and Reeve to talk to; Riku has you, Squall, and Vincent to help him; and you have Aerith, Riku, and Cloud; I think it's time I talk to Reno and Tifa about how we can help Cloud."

"No, you never have to talk to Reno for anything," replied Cloud flatly. "I already know that you and Tifa love me."

"Actually, I think we should hear Yuffie out," commented Zack with a smirk. "Once you and Reno come up with something, Yuffie, you can count me in."

"Alright! We'll break him out of his emo ways in no time," proclaimed the petite brunette.

The spiky-haired man was glowering at his two friends. "And just why do you need to break me of my reticence?"

"Because that's what families do." The raven-haired man draped an arm over the shorter man's shoulders. He chuckled at Cloud's expression, which was torn between embarrassment and irritation, and then started walking away. "Now you two play nicely while I go make sure Riku and his grandpa are getting on alright."

Yuffie beamed and Cloud rolled his eyes at their friend's retreating back. "I'm going to kill Leon…"

The hyperactive woman looked perplexed, "Why?"

"Because you weren't on this whole family kick until after he started allowing you to call him Squall again…"

"Aww, don't worry…you'll always be my favourite broth-"

Yuffie might not be as venerable as Vincent or Zack, but Cloud had to hand her one thing, she at least had the sense to run when he chased after her.


	254. Carnivore

_

* * *

_

Prompt: Carnivore

_Given by: catchmeloon_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Tifa/Rude, Cloud/Reno, Zack/Aerith, Post-Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi)_

_Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to the product Veganaise or the company which produces it (Follow Your Heart, I believe it is called) Thank you._

* * *

"Hey, just in time. Dinner's almost ready," greeted Tifa with a hug for Cloud as he and Reno arrived at her and Rude's house for dinner.

"Hey Cloud! Hey Reno!" called Denzel from the open dinning room, where he was setting the table. The blonde man immediately headed toward the boy to greet him.

"How's the mini martial artist doing, yo?" asked Reno with a brief glance at Tifa's swollen stomach.

"He's definitely got my kicking skills," commented the mahogany-eyed woman with a grin.

"Rude'll be thrilled," replied the redhead.

"Yeah, he's really starting to get excited."

"…And you're not?" teased Cloud as they joined him and Denzel in the dinning room.

Tifa grinned again, "Have I been that obvious lately?"

"Only because we know you so well…I'm sure most people think you're surprisingly calm about it," answered the spiky-haired man, he nodded a greeting as Rude entered from the kitchen. "You've been more obvious than Rude anyway."

"That's just because you don't speak Rude's language yet, yo," commented Reno with a smirk as he hit his best friend in the shoulder. "For him, he's been practically giddy ever since Tifa got far enough along to start being able to distinguish that the little blob he keeps showing me photos of is a baby."

Mahogany eyes shifted from Reno to Rude and back again. "The two of you have been looking over the ultrasound pictures?"

Rude shrugged with a small smile. Reno snorted, "Since you started getting 'em, yo. All I can say is I'm glad he's a boy, 'cause with the lack of hair so far, I'm thinking he's gonna take after his old man in that department."

"Well if he turns out as handsome as his father, then he should consider himself lucky." The umber-haired woman smirked and winked at Rude.

After Rude insisted that Tifa sit down as he and Reno got the food, everyone sat down and began to enjoy the meal.

"The chicken's really good, Tifa," complimented Cloud after taking a couple of bites, Reno nodded his agreement as he chewed on some of his own stir-fry.

"Oh, that isn't chicken," replied the pregnant woman with a smile. "Thanks, though."

Both guests had ceased chewing immediately and glanced at their plates. "Then what did I just stick in my mouth, yo?"

"It's marinated tofu," explained Rude.

Reno blinked and swallowed, Cloud had resumed eating already. "Since when do you eat tofu?"

"We've decided to become vegetarians," stated Tifa happily.

The redhead looked across the table at his fellow Turk. "Dude, that's just unnatural, yo. Humans are carnivores…"

"Actually, we're omnivores," commented Denzel.

Reno nodded at the boy and then returned his attention to his best friend. "Yeah, that…you're supposed to stick to the basic fours: meat, potatoes, dessert, and beverages."

Both Tifa and Cloud were studying the redhead. "How are you thin?"

Reno now returned to eating, although he clearly wasn't done with the subject. "What brought this on anyway, yo? Tifa doesn't strike me as the 'I'm gonna change my diet and make my boyfriend do the same' type…so, what gives?"

"We both decided this together," remarked the bald man.

"We think it will better for the kids to grow up with a healthier diet and lifestyle," added Tifa.

"Where did that come from?" asked Cloud, sounding genuinely curious.

"I tried this Veganaise stuff at Zack and Aerith's house, and Aerith said she started using it after Riku brought some home when she had mayonnaise on a grocery list he volunteered to take care of," explained the mahogany-eyed woman. "It tastes great, but it has no cholesterol, no saturated fats, no dairy or eggs, and less salt, calories, and unnatural ingredients than mayonnaise."

Reno quirked an eyebrow; "So Silver accidentally bought the wrong thing at the market and this led to you two changing your entire diet?"

"No, Zack mentioned that," stated Cloud. "Riku bought what he intended to; he was just used to his mom. It sounds like she was a health nut."

"She was terminally ill after being injured and so made it a point to keep herself and her child as healthy as possible," corrected Tifa. "I asked Riku a little about it, and his mother lasted longer than any of the doctors expected her to…plus look at how healthy Riku is, even after more a year of surviving off the bare minimum, he was fine."

"And I'm sure a certain psycho's project had nothing to do with any of that," muttered Cloud.

"Yeah, and Silver could still use a good ten to fifteen pounds on him, yo," interjected Reno. "Maybe if the kid ate some more junk food, he wouldn't be so skinny…or pale."

"You're skinny and pale," commented Denzel.

"I'm not skinny or pale, I'm slim and fair skinned," amended the Turk. "I would be no matter what I eat or do. It's genetics and metabolism."

"It's probably the same for Riku…Sephiroth was pale and not that bulky for a SOLDIER," commented Tifa. "But the kid's still in excellent health and I'm sure it's more than just…his DNA."

"And Zack has been slowly introducing him to the concept of junk food," added Cloud. "He just doesn't eat that much and he's a little particular…I think some of that has to do with his need to have control over himself, though. And Zack's breaking him of that too."

"I still don't expect the boy to start eating a lot of stuff that's bad for him, and it's because he was raised on a healthy diet." Tifa ate another bite of her meal before continuing. "Instead of growing up thinking that foods like broccoli and eggplant were bad, he thought of them as normal foods and so he's his tastes run more towards foods that are good for him than foods that aren't."

Reno swallowed another bite. "So you want your kid not to be used to the good stuff, yo…that's just wrong."

"You just commented that this was good a moment ago," Rude pointed out, indicating the food that his best friend was still eating.

"It is," agreed Reno, "But I wouldn't want to just live off this stuff…I'd still want a turkey sandwich with a coke and some cookies for lunch the next day."

"Well, that's where you guys will come in," stated Tifa cheerfully.

Cloud stopped eating and blinked at his friend, "Huh?"

Rude clasped Tifa's hand and smirked at the two men across the table, "We want you both to be our son's godparents."

Cloud switched his gaze from Rude to Tifa again. "You want _us _to be his godparents?"

Reno was still staring at Rude. "What the hell do either of us know about handling kids, yo?"

"You're our best friends," stated Tifa. "You're both going to be an important part of our children's lives anyway, and you're influence will be a good contrast to ours, just like you two have always complimented and supported us as our friends and brothers."

"Wait…_children_? How many are you planning on having, yo?" questioned Reno.

"We did just recently got together you know…what if we aren't if the time comes?" asked Cloud.

"We only plan to have Denzel and our upcoming addition," stated Rude, "So, yes, _children_."

"Whether you're apart or together doesn't matter…although I suspect you two are going to be stuck with the other for a long time to come," replied Tifa with a smirk. "Besides, it's not like we plan on leaving them anytime soon."

"It doesn't matter if you live to see the kid through college," stated Reno with a roll of his eyes. "Being a godparent doesn't start if or when the actual parents die. They're supposed to be _involved_…help guide the midget through life and all that crap."

"Zack was involved with Riku from the beginning and he even wanted to go to islands with the kid," added Cloud after nodding his agreement. "Even if Sephiroth had regained his sanity, you think Zack wouldn't be there for Riku? Hell no…nothing could keep him from supporting Riku and that's the way it's _supposed _to be."

"Exactly," agreed Reno. "That's why it's such a big deal to be godparents…it isn't just an honorary title, yo."

Rude and Tifa wore matching grins by now. "Precisely," stated the bald Turk.

"That's exactly why we decided on you two," elaborated Tifa, smiling broadly now. "Together, there isn't anything you guys can't handle, and we know each of you will be just as devoted to your godson as Zack is to his."

"Assuming you accept," added Rude.

There was brief moment of silence before Reno scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Of course I accept, yo. The kid's gonna be one of us; someone has to show him the ropes…which now includes hotdogs and nachos apparently."

"We aren't going quite as far as Sephiroth's wife did," Rude assured his friend with a smile. "But thank you."

The redhead waved off the gratitude with a smirk on his face. Then he glanced at his boyfriend, "What about you, yo? I'm used to having a partner for the important jobs, you know."

"Like I'm going to leave a job that includes guiding and supporting one of my best friend's kids to you alone," replied the spiky-haired man. Then he smiled at Tifa. "I still don't see why you want us, but I'm happy to accept….even if it means being stuck with Reno for years to come."

"Good," The mahogany-eyed woman smiled broadly again. "Now, if everyone else is finished, dessert is starting to sound really good…"

Rude glanced at Reno with a grin. The redhead smirked back, "Okay, she might be a keeper after all, yo."

"Here, why don't you let me get it for you," Cloud said as he stood and motioned for Tifa to remain seated. Rude nodded his thanks as the blonde man starting helping him gather the dishes.

Denzel suddenly looked at the remaining adults with some confusion. "Do I have godparents?"

Tifa froze in place, but Reno spoke before she could. "Of course you do. You actually think Cloud wouldn't take you if something happened to Tifa and Rude? And there's no way I'm separating Rude's kid from his big brother, yo."

"Okay," the boy seemed rather pleased with this response, and Tifa turned to Reno with a watery smile.

The Turk held a hand up before she could speak. "Not a word about that to Rude or Cloud and I'll help paint your damn nursery, deal?"

"Deal," replied Tifa, still smiling. Then she suddenly giggled. "One thing's for sure, our son is definitely going to have a balanced personality with all the influences he's going to have in his life."

"He's definitely going to be a lucky little bastard, yo," agreed Reno with a nod before smirking abruptly and notably glancing at the engagement ring on Tifa's hand. "Or not…"

The mahogany-eyed woman blinked and then the smile returned to her face once again. "Either way, he's definitely lucky."


	255. Tart

_Prompt: Tart_

_Given by: catchmeloon_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Leon/Riku, Post-Leon/Rinoa, Zack/Aerith, Post-Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi)_

* * *

"…So then Yuffie said that was cheating, even though we never made it a rule before…but I agreed to another round without using it and beat her again, so now she's determined to practice more so she can beat me next time."

Leon smirked at the teenager walking beside him, "You know she's never going to give up on this until she beats you now, right?"

Riku nodded as he opened the garden gate to the front walk of Zack and Aerith's house. "Yeah…Sora's the same way when it comes to video games. If it goes on too long, I'll just show her a few tricks so she can beat me."

The scarred man grinned and shook his head as they started up the walkway. The silvered adolescent turned his head to the side curiously, "Hey Enkeli…who's your friend, boy?"

Leon turned to look at the boy as the ever-growing pup greeted him, grin still in place. He found it oddly endearing that the teen tended to speak to his dog more then he did most people. Then the smile fell from his face when he glanced in the direction Riku was looking.

Lying in the front lawn beside the porch was an elderly but familiar brown and white dog. "Angelo…"

Turquoise eyes glanced up at Leon while Riku was still bending down to pet his dog. "You know him? Squall…what's the matter…?"

The steel-eyed man glanced from the elderly canine to his young lover. "…That's my ex-girlfriend's dog."

Riku's expression immediately turned neutral while his eyes grew calculating and somewhat nervous. He studied his boyfriend's face for a few seconds before flicking his gaze back to the unfamiliar dog and then looking at Leon once more. "Okay, so exactly how uncomfortable am I about to become…?"

The Gunblade wielder frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Well judging by your reaction thus far, I'm guessing you're either nervous about her reaction to me since I'm…well, _me_. Or there's something that was left unsettled, which means you'll either be subtly at each other's throats or undressing each other with your eyes…" The boy looked at him seriously before repeating his previous question; "So, how uncomfortable am I about to be?"

Steel-blue eyes blinked as Leon took in all that the boy had just said. Riku's voice had remained even and his expression was still neutral, however his always-expressive eyes held the questioning and uncertain tone that he managed to keep from his voice.

Leon stepped closer and touched the teen's arm. "Rinoa isn't a threat to _us _at all, my Sydän. I'm not sure how she'll react to you, but who you are really isn't any of her business. I'll only be at her throat if she says or does anything to upset you, and you're the only person I'll be undressing with my eyes, okay?'

Riku again looked over his boyfriend's face for a few silent seconds before most of the uncertainly drained from his eyes, showing the trust and love that he usually gazed at the man with. Then he smiled softly, "Okay."

The scarred man gripped the boy's waist and pulled him closer as he tilted his head down to press a firm kiss to the teen's lips, which was returned without hesitation. The steel-eyed man pulled the boy closer still and deepened the kiss in response.

After they parted, Leon offered the boy a small smile when he subtly grasped his hand. Riku smiled back when the man laced their fingers together. Then they turned and finished walking up to the house, with Enkeli and Angelo at their heels.

They heard chattering for a brief moment as Riku unlocked and opened the door, but then the voices quieted down. Aerith and Rinoa were seated in the sitting room's two armchairs.

"Riku, Leon, we have a guest," commented Aerith slowly.

"We know," replied the scarred man levelly.

"Hi Squall, how have you been?" questioned Rinoa with a smile.

"…Good." Steel-blue eyes flickered to the teen standing beside him, "Better than ever, actually; How about you?"

"That's great," replied the brown-eyed woman. "I've been doing well too. Busy, as I'm sure you've been too…this place looks incredible. You guys have really gotten a lot done."

The scarred man nodded, "It's coming along well. Ellone says you guys are making some heavy progress also. I haven't gotten into any of the cities on that continent yet."

"You'll have to come and see Esthar sometime…and Balamb." Rinoa's smile suddenly broadened. "Irvine's here too. He got caught up with Zell shortly after we arrived, but I'm sure you'll be seeing him before we leave."

Leon nodded again, "I'd like that. Is it just the two of you here?"

"Yeah," Rinoa giggled, although it was not clear what she found so amusing. "My father wanted to send you a letter…something about the restoration projects communicating with one another, and Ellone wanted to send you something you had asked her for in your last letter. They were both too busy to come anytime soon though, so Irvine and I volunteered to be their messengers. We wanted to see everyone over here anyway."

"So you and your father are on speaking terms again?" questioned Leon, Riku noted that the man had a bit of the cold edge he had possessed when they first met again since they entered the house.

The dark-haired woman nodded this time. "We realised that we actually both want the same thing after we started trying to rebuild Esthar…we just take different approaches, but we can respect that difference now. I think we're lucky to still have each other after that happened here."

"That's good. Oh, and that reminds me; I haven't introduced you two." Leon gently placed a hand on the small of Riku's back. "Rinoa, this is Riku…I'm assuming you know who he is."

"Ellone and Irvine have mentioned him just about every time you've written either of them," commented Rinoa with a smile, which turned into a bit of a smirk as her eyes shifted to Riku. With a slightly mischievous glint to her eyes, she addressed the teen. "So _you're _the little tart who turned Leon to the other side…"

Leon narrowed his eyes and was about to retort on his young lover's behalf, when Riku responded himself. "Guilty as charged."

Another glance toward the turquoise-eyed boy showed that the corner of his mouth was also upturned slightly, in a more subtle smirk. "Although, I think you helped lay the groundwork for me…"

Rinoa laughed once and then smiled warmly at the boy. "You can definitely handle Squall."

Steel-blue eyes blinked once and Leon glanced at Aerith, who was smiling knowingly. "They're…"

"Teasing each other," finished the green-eyed woman. "Yeah; Remember, she was just as okay with the break-up as you were and Riku trusts you. Besides, it's hard to argue the fact that Riku's good for you…especially with the show you two put on before coming in here."

As both woman giggled, Leon and Riku glanced at each other and then turned to see that the living room curtains were open, and one specific window gave a perfect view of the front walk.

"I see you discovered Squall's over-sensitive lower lip," commented Rinoa as she looked at Riku again. The boy turned his face to her, but his eyes seemed to fall short of meeting hers. "What about that spot behind his earlobe?"

The silvered adolescent flushed slightly, but nodded. "Yeah, I found that…actually, did you ever know about the spot on his side just over his hip? He seemed kind of surprised the first time he reacted so strongly to it…"

"No," the dark-haired woman looked surprised and somewhat satisfied. "I guess you have to be a little more creative in that department, huh? Since you're a little…inexperienced; no offence…"

Riku shrugged, "Squall doesn't seem to have any complaints."

"I can tell," replied Rinoa with a grin. "I have to say, I can see what drew him to you…and not just the fact that you're a beauty. It has always taken more than that with him. Although I have to say, if I were a straight guy, I think you could turn my head too."

"…Yeah, that seems to be the general census," Riku responded, looking slightly uncomfortable and a little self-conscious. "I don't really get it honestly…"

"Of course not," answered Rinoa. "If you knew you looked the way you do and actually cared, you wouldn't be Squall's type."

"Leon, Riku; why don't you sit down?" Aerith asked patiently, indicating the empty sofa. "And Leon, relax…she isn't going to do anything to Riku. And if she did, you'd have to beat me to reprimanding her for it."

Leon realised his hand was still on Riku's back, but he did not bother to drop it as they moved to the sofa. Instead, he wrapped it around Riku's waist as they sat. "So how long are you and Irvine going to be staying?" questioned the Gunblade wielder.

"Just for a couple of days," answered the brown-eyed woman. "Irvine is going to stay at Zell's place and I'm staying with Quistis. I am so happy that they finally got together; they seem very happy."

"They are," remarked Leon. "You know you're going to have to stop by Edea and Cid's while you're here."

"Oh, we plan to," replied Rinoa with a smile. "I also want to see Tifa. I hear she's really coming along. And Irvine wants to go shooting with you before we head back…I think he misses you more than he lets on."

"Of course; it wouldn't fit his image to admit it," answered the scarred man with a grin.

"You seem happy too," stated Rinoa with a kind smile. "I'm really glad for you, Squall."

"Thank you…I _am _happy." The former SeeD absently stroked Riku's side. Then he seemed to return his attention to Rinoa, even though he had never technically turned away. "What about you?"

"I think Irvine is interested." The brown-eyed woman looked thoughtful, "But I think he's nervous about asking out one of his best friend's exes. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if he brought it up with you while we're here."

Leon nodded, "That sounds like Irvine. I'll bring it up if he doesn't."

"I figured you would." Rinoa glanced at Riku, who was scratching Enkeli's ear while his free hand rested on Leon's knee, and then she grinned at Leon. "You know, your friends are finally going to notice your soft-spot for dogs if you keep falling for dog lovers…"


	256. Spitfire

_Prompt: Spitfire_

_Given by: catchmeloon_

_Setting: Destiny Islands; Pre-KH_

_Pairings: Post-Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi)_

_Author's note: This story takes place four or five years after Zack and four or five years before Sharpie. Thank you for reading and enjoy._

* * *

"Man, middle school is brutal. I still can't believe he actually hit you with an oar," commented Sora over the phone, the sounds of a video game wafting in the background.

"Why is that so surprising?" questioned Riku as he adjusted the phone's volume to the lowest setting. His head hurt far too much for Sora at high volume. "He's a total spitfire…the guy loses his temper over anything."

Riku could see his best friend's eyes roll in his mind. "Well yeah, but he still hit _you_ with an _oar_…that's just nuts."

The silver-haired child nodded even though his friend could not see him, then he winced and held his head. "Yeah, and to top it all off, I know my mom is going to be upset when she hears about this…"

"What…? Why would she be mad at you? You were just defending yourself! If you didn't fight him, he would have beaten you to death with that thing! How-"

"Sora, _please _stop yelling," interrupted Riku with a quiet grimace. "And you weren't there…I was just as much to blame as he was. Well, until the oar entered the picture…_that _was all him. I would have been happy to have just kept it verbal…"

"That's because you can outwit him," commented Sora, who was clearly eating something on his end of the line. "That's also why you've lasted this long without actually having to fight him…you always leave while he's confused over your comebacks. This time he decided to just kick your natty little-"

"Riku Zachary Akeru!" A shout caused both boys to jump and drop their phones just before the front door closed forcefully in Riku's home. "Get off that phone and in my study, right now!"

"Wow, she found out quick," stated Sora, who had apparently picked up his dropped phone. "I didn't know your middle name was Zachary…"

"Neither did I," replied Riku numbly, looking contemplative.

"How could you not know wha-?"

"Sora, I'd better go. I'll see you in school tomorrow. Bye." The turquoise-eyed boy quickly snapped out of his daze and hung the phone up as he hurried to his mother's study.

Riku kept his head down and his arms crossed as he stood across the small room from his mother.

"What were you thinking?!" Hilargi's tone was still curt, although she was no longer yelling.

Riku still winced for entirely different reasons than he had before. "I wasn't…I'm sorry."

"Riku, you cannot afford to _not think_," the claret-haired woman stated in exasperation. "I know you do not understand, but you _have _to mind me on this! Why would you fight with that boy anyway? He is twice your size and known for his miscreant ways already. You could have been seriously injured, or you could have seriously injured him…you also could have brought a lot of unwanted attention to yourself. _If_ you haven't already, that is."

The silver-haired boy did not argue or look up. A part of him wanted to explain the situation so that maybe his reasoning could be understood. A much larger part of him did not want to risk upsetting his mother any further when she finally seemed to be calming slightly. It was not good for her to be worked up in her condition. He knew her heart could not handle the strain. Instead, the child simply nodded.

Hilargi took a deep breath to steady herself, and Riku hated himself a little bit more for upsetting her so. "And I do not care what anyone says or implies about _him_; you _cannot _mention your father…_ever_. I know I ask a lot without explaining anything, but it is for a good reason. You must understand that. It's dangerous for us to have people know too much."

Riku did not understand…he never had. However, he did not want his mother to grow more ill or to be in any danger, so he nodded again. As much as he hated it, he would not argue this implication or talk about his father…not with her or anyone else. He shivered as he repressed more questions that he would never ask.

The icy-eyed woman must have noticed the motion, for she sighed in frustration. "I know it isn't fair, Riku. Other kids -other people in general- get to shout or cry or lash out in some way from time to time, but you cannot lose control for even a moment. I- I cannot help you if you break."

Turquoise eyes had to force back unwanted tears and emotion when his mother's voice broke. "I'm sorry…"

"I know you are but foresight is much more important than hindsight in this instance," replied Hilargi tartly. "And will you look at me while I'm speaking to you?"

Riku obediently raised his head and looked at his mother. He also dropped his arms to his sides, since there was not any point in hiding the livid bruise on his forearm anymore. He bit his lip when his mother gasped slightly and wondered if she was reacting to the bruises on his face, scalp, and arms, or the shame, hurt, and guilt that she no doubt saw in his eyes.

The claret-haired woman approached her son and tilted his face up so she could see his injured face better. "Why did you refuse treatment when Dr. Virgil asked to look at you?"

"We haven't gone through this year's tests yet," replied the silvered child. The rules always changed a little after each year's results were consulted. Some procedures that other healers had been allowed to perform on him were no longer deemed safe. Riku had decided not to take the risk. He flinched when his mother's eyes widened slightly as though she had been slapped while unawares. "Don't worry…I made sure he got the impression that I just didn't want to cause any more trouble. I'm sure he doesn't suspect I was avoiding any examinations…"

Instead of looking relieved, Hilargi looked even more shocked by this response. Icy blue and turquoise simply stared at each other for a moment. Then Riku had to lower his face, because holding it up to look at his mother was making hid headache worse. With a sad sigh, the claret-haired woman raised a hand and much of the pain disappeared as a soft light briefly enveloped her son. Riku was slightly startled, she usually insisted on doing things naturally when it came to him.

"That was good thinking," stated Hilargi after a pause. Her voice was somewhat distant, as though she were thinking heavily. Riku wondered why he didn't seem capable of doing anything right that day. "You have to come straight home after school for the remainder of the week, but you can call Sora or Kairi if you'd like. We will run your tests next week. Now go get some rest."

Hilargi stroked Riku's hair and then stood quietly and turned to her desk. Riku silently left the room, knowing that it was pointless to say he would not do it again or apologise once more.

The boy entered his room and sat on his bed. After a moment, he pulled a small photo album from his bedside table, inside were several photos he had saved from the rubbish bin along with some more recently taken photos. Riku opened it to the pages he most often viewed. The photos situated there tended to make him feel less alone and vulnerable.

On one side of the open book was a photo featuring his father, who had shoulder length silver hair, fair skin, and sea green eyes, and who stood shirtless with a nearly one-year-old boy of not-quite identical colouring cradled in one arm as they stared at each other contentedly. On the other side, a young man in his late teens with jet-black hair and a cross-shaped scar on his jaw was laying stretched across a sofa, clearly asleep but still cradling the same baby against his chest, who was likewise asleep with his tiny cheek pressed over the man's heart.

Turquoise eyes shifted between the two photos curiously. After a moment, they lost focus and when Riku focused again, he was staring at the raven-haired man. A dull but familiar ache in his chest became more pronounced and a stray memory clicked into place.

The silvered child nodded slightly to himself. "Zachary…who are you?" The boy sighed at the thought of yet more questions he would never be able to ask.

Riku turned his head to gaze out the window. Past the apartment complex's deck, he could see the ocean and the play islands in the distance.

He was truly starting to hate it there.


	257. Damned

_Prompt: Damned_

_Setting: Port Royal; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Implied Leon/Riku, Will/Elizabeth, Sora/Penelo_

_Author's note: Disney owns "A pirate's life for me" original lyrics. I do not own any rights to them. I also wrote them from memory, so please excuse any errors (just pretend Jack messed up). Thank you and enjoy._

* * *

"Yo-ho, yo-ho, a pirate's life for me! We pillage, we plunder, we rifle and loot. Drink up me hearties, yo-ho! We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot; drink up me hearties, yo-ho! We extort, we pilfer, we filch and we sack; drink up me hearties, yo-ho! Maraud and embezzle and even highjack; drink up me hearties, yo-ho!"

Jack and Sora were both dancing around the mainmast of an old marooned ship, looking much like children skipping around a maypole. Each was holding a half-filled bottle of rum in one hand and flamboyantly gesturing as though conducting an orchestra with the other.

"We kindle and char, inflame and ignite; drink up me hearties, yo-ho! We burn up the city; we're really a fright. Drink up me hearties, yo-ho! We're rascals, scoundrels, villains and knaves; drink up me hearties, yo-ho! We're devils and black sheep; we're really bad eggs. Drink up me hearties, yo-ho! Yo-ho, yo-ho, a pirate's life for me!"

Riku walked forward to stand beside Will as they both simply stared at their respective best friends for a moment. Then they quietly turned their heads to look at each other.

The younger broke the silence first. "Are they drunk?"

"I'm not sure." Will's brows furrowed slightly as he turned to look at the dancing pirates again. "It's difficult to tell with Jack."

"It's pretty easy with Sora," commented Riku as he glanced about the cavern quickly and then picked up a small tiara. He pulled his arm back and launched it after calling, "Sora…catch!"

The spiky-haired teen turned with a lopsided grin plastered on his face. He raised his free hand about two seconds too late to prevent the tiara from smacking him in the face. Cerulean eyes watched the sparkling object bounce on the floor by his feet before settling near a few empty bottles. Then the boy burst into laughter.

"Yeah, he's drunk." Riku frowned slightly. "I don't get it…by my calculations; they should have only been stranded here a few hours at worst. Why did they drink all that rum?"

"For Jack, the mere fact that it was there merited drinking it," commented Will dryly.

Riku rolled his eyes. "Great…of all the people for Sora to decide to bond with here… Penelo and Kairi are going to kill him when they hear about this…and then they're going to kill me for letting him get into this position."

"Even after they hear you got him out of it?" questioned Will. "Speaking of which, I think it's time we tried to drag our inebriated comrades back to the ship."

The silver-haired teen nodded his agreement and starting walking towards his friend. "Come on Sora, it's time to get out of this cave and get you sober…"

"What's the rush, Rish-uh, Riku?" commented Sora. Then he took on a decidedly lewd expression. "Are you in a rush to get back to lion…lay-on…Sq- le-an…? Ah, you know…your boyfriend." The boy suddenly chuckled, "Squ-eon... Squeon, that's funny. I am _so _calling him that the next time I see him."

"Yeah, good luck with that," replied Riku flatly.

Jack suddenly chuckled at Riku, "You've got some bite there, lass."

"Riku is a boy, Jack," interjected Will.

The pirate captain looked Riku over with a confused expression. Then he glanced at Will, "You sure about that, mate?" When Will nodded, Jack turned to Sora. "Zora…is your pretty friend here a lass or a lad?" He glanced back at Riku, "…He's not a unich is he?"

"He's a boy…just a pretty one," replied Sora as he retrieved the fallen tiara and plopped it on Riku's head. Then he laughed again and pointed at his best friend's mild glare. "You should totally see the look on your face! Where'd that hand mirror we saw earlier go…?"

Riku tugged the tiara off his head and tossed it into a nearby open chest of treasure. "Okay Sora, I really do want to leave now if you don't mind…"

"Wait; about that boyfriend bit," commented Jack as he swayed and held up a finger as though asking a very pointed question. His expression was still pure bemusement. "What exactly makes a fine…er, lad…like yourself want to let a man lay anchor in his harbour? Couldn't you just find yourself a girl?"

Will blinked a few times, Sora chuckled, and Riku flushed and dropped his face into one of his pale hands. "I don't know…I guess…either you just like it or you don't, okay? Can we start dragging these chests out of here now?"

"That sounds like a good idea to me," agreed Will, who seemed just as eager to end the previous conversation as Riku was.

As the four males carried several heavy chests to the ship that Will and Riku had arrived on, Sora kept explaining concepts such as shonen-ai, yaoi, and pederasty to Jack, who seemed to find the subject oddly fascinating. Although the captain still proclaimed that Riku either was a girl, a unich, or simply needed to find himself a girl. Will and Riku were very relieved when they returned for the last couple of chests.

Sora was still babbling drunkenly. "…And if you think Riku's port worthy now, you should see him when he turns into a mermaid in Antlan-"

"Sora," Riku interrupted quickly as he suddenly tuned into his best friend's words. "We aren't supposed to talk about that stuff with anyone but a few select people, remember…?"

"Oh yeah," the cerulean-eyed teen turned back to Jack. "Sorry, that's Keybearer secret…except that there's only three Keybearers and there's at least twice that many people who know about that…well not _that_ pacific-er, spephific- sphecifically… Why can't I say that word right?"

"Because you're drunk," answered Riku tartly.

"I've drunk more rum than him and it hasn't effected me vocal skills, luv," interjected Jack.

Turquoise eyes blinked and flickered to Will with the words _'is he serious' _clearly represented in them.

The blacksmith shrugged slightly with a perturbed expression. "Actually Jack always sounds like this."

Riku quirked an eyebrow and glanced back at the pirate captain. "What about the…?" He gestured with his hand to indicate the man's swaying form and odd hand gestures.

"He's always like that too," answered Will with a nondescript expression.

Something behind the brown-haired man caught Riku's attention. A small shadow was moving along the wall. "Don't move," he said as he threw a Dark Aura past Will's shoulder, destroying the Heartless mid-pounce.

"Hey, we never sealed the Keyhole to this world when Donald and Goofy and I were here before," commented Sora as he turned to Riku. "That's because I was busy looking for _you_…well, there was also the pirates, and my friends, and the Nobodies…okay, so I got distracted a lot. But it always came back to finding you…actually I was sort of obsessive about that…"

As the spiky-haired teen trailed off thoughtfully, Riku watched him with an arched eyebrow, Jack had both of his furrowed as he looked from one teen to the other, and Will's eyebrows had both risen as high as they could.

They were each spared the need to respond when more Heartless started appearing and a few pirates charged from an opening into another cavern. "Ah, it's those damned pirates again," stated Sora.

Jack and Will drew their swords and focused on the pirates, while Riku and Sora summoned their Keyblades and disposed of the Heartless.

"You know," Sora commented in the midst of battling a Heartless. "I think I'm gonna really freak out the first time I fight something that actually bleeds. What about you?"

"I already fought my father a couple of times," replied Riku as he destroyed another Heartless and moved onto the next. "He bleeds…"

"He never bled when I fought him," stated Sora in an irritated tone. Riku had to throw a Dark Aura before three Heartless could attack the spiky-haired boy while he contemplated this fact.

"When did you- wait, do you actually want to- Never mind…" The turquoise eyed boy shook his head, making a mental note to never fight alongside a drunk again as he focused on the Heartless.

After all of the Heartless had been destroyed and none of the enemy pirates were moving, Riku turned to Sora. "Okay, no more drinking while doing this stuff and we are sealing that keyhole before we leave…"

"Uh, Riku…?" Sora's eyes were trained on something behind the silvered adolescent.

Not sensing any Heartless nearby, the named teen turned with a look of mild confusion on his face. That expression intensified when a pirate with an open bullet wound grabbed him by the shirt. The villain's neck was severed to the point that it flopped onto his shoulder.

Riku's immediate reaction, which he would later argue was completely practical for any sane and sober person in his position, was to scream like a girl and proceed to kick the undead pirate's arse.

"You have to use magic," Sora called to his friend in a helpful tone as the other boy ran the pirate through with Way to the Dawn.

"You couldn't have said that sooner?" commented Will, who had already shot the villain with no results.

"I forgot that he didn't know about them," replied the cerulean-eyed boy with a shrug.

"Oh well, better late than never," said Jack before taking another swig of rum.

"Enough," Riku kicked the enemy away enough to raise his hands and then three dark orbs surrounded the pirate before homing in and destroying it. The silver-haired boy spun around to look at the other three people in the cavern. "What in Shiva's name was that?"

"A damned pirate," stated Sora as though this were already a well-established fact. "I mentioned it when they arrived."

"I thought it was a drunken note of irritation, not that they were actually cursed," remarked Riku in exasperation.

"Well that will teach you not to make such assumptions in the future, lass," stated Jack with a grin. Then he clapped his hands together, "Now, let us finish pillaging this here cavern so we can head back out to sea, aye?"

Turquoise eyes narrowed slightly. "I am _not _a girl."

"Your soprano shriek a moment ago would suggest otherwise, luv," replied the captain.

Riku simply stared with a blank expression as the pirate then turned and swaggered back to the chest he and Sora had been moving before the attack. They started another verse of some pirate song as they heaved the chest out of the cavern.

Will and Riku exchanged glances once more, and again, the younger broke the silence. "Between the crew of the Jolly Rodger and now this, I am _really _beginning to loathe pirates."

"I know the feeling," commented the brown-eyed man.

"Oh man," the turquoise-eyed boy groaned slightly. "I just realised we're going to be stuck on a ship with him for the next few days…"

Will watched the boy warily as he approached the last remaining treasure chest and began dragging it out of the cavern, murmuring about bringing a squall along the next time.

The blacksmith shook his head and followed. "Between them and Elizabeth it's amazing I don't drink as much as Jack…"


	258. Fish Sticks

_Prompt: Fish sticks_

_Given by: Nasdreks_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII; Post Feathers & Traitor_

_Pairings: Referenced Leon/Riku, Sora/Penelo, Zack/Aerith; Implied Post-Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi), Post-Vincent/Lucrecia_

* * *

"I still cannot believe we're in a computer program," commented Kairi as she, Sora, and Riku lay stretched out in a field where there was now a vast maw in the true town of Radiant Garden. "Damn, Riku…you really have a talent here."

The turquoise-eyed boy blinked and turned his head to look at the girl with a slightly perplexed expression. "Thanks…" Then he gazed at the sky once again.

The auburn-haired girl giggled. "Everyone here has gotten way too used to your talents if you're that thrown off by a simple compliment."

"I like it that way," remarked the silver-haired teen.

"I think Riku's still having overload issues," commented Sora as he folded his hands under his head and stared at the sky as well. "For our first year without having to save the worlds, there's been way too many weird situations to deal with…especially for him. I just got a girlfriend, him moving, and what happened in Nibelheim. Maybe life will finally calm down next year."

"Yeah…hey, Riku…?" Kairi was clearly hesitant to ask her next question. "Didn't your dad say that you still weren't allowed to be alone with Sora?"

Kairi had insisted upon calling Zack Riku's dad ever since the man took the legal steps to activate his rights as Riku's godfather…and she knew Riku secretly loved the title. He had even admitted to accidentally referring to the man as such while talking to Yuffie once. Naturally, he blamed Kairi for the slip and she was more than happy to take credit.

"Are you a figment of my imagination?" questioned the silvered adolescent dryly. The girl could practically hear his smirk.

"Uh no, not that I'm aware of," replied the girl with a smile; it was nice to see Riku coming back from his recent depression.

"Then he's not alone with me," replied Sora, sounding somewhat peeved.

"Okay…" Kairi bit her lip and stared at the sky as well, although she certainly was not focusing on it. She had spoken to Riku and Sora several times over the handful of weeks that Sora had been at Disney Castle, while both boys recovered from something that neither wanted to divulge. During that time, something else happened on Radiant Garden and Riku, along with his newfound family, had flourished.

The inky-eyed girl had been thrilled that her friend was finally recovering from his ordeals in Kingdom Hearts. She knew Sora would be pleased as well, but the fact that Riku had found his happiness without Sora was bound to hurt a little.

The auburn-haired girl sighed softly and glanced at her silver-haired friend. He was pale, quiet, and looked distant. She did not know what had happened in the previous week, but whatever it was; it had almost been powerful enough to drain all of the newly discovered happiness from the boy.

When Yuffie had thought to bring his grandfather into the picture, and Vincent had actually helped, Zack immediately made plans to bring Kairi out for a weekend, while Leon talked to Mickey about Sora visiting too. It seemed that having all of his loved ones nearby was helping Riku get past whatever the new predicament was, even if he only spoke of it to Zack, Leon, and Vincent.

With another small sigh, the auburn-haired girl turned her head to look at Sora, who was laying at her other side. Over a month before, the boys had gone to take care of some lingering Heartless in Nibelheim and the event they would not speak of had occurred. When Kairi had first heard that King Mickey had decided it was safest for Sora to stay at Disney Castle for a while, she had feared for her friend's safety. Then, it became clear over conversations with each boy that the concern was in Sora _causing _harm, not _being _harmed.

Kairi still did not know what to make of it all, but she had spoken to both of her best friends regularly via Riku's altered radios, determined to support her friends in any way she could. It was not until Riku asked her if Sora had mentioned anything about him that she realised Sora and Riku were not speaking to each other the way they were with her…the way they used to with one another.

She glanced from one boy to the other. It was clear that they both wanted to reach out to their best friend, but something (or multiple somethings more likely) had put up a barrier between them and they had grown without the other for too long. They did not know where to begin to fix it.

Suddenly, she got an idea. "Sora, what's your favourite flavour lollipop?"

"Uh, watermelon," replied the boy, sounding confused, "Same as always."

Kairi giggled slightly; "Yeah…mine's strawberry now. Riku…?"

"Lime," answered Riku softly.

"Okay, Sora, what's your favourite food?" asked the auburn-haired girl.

"It's still fish sticks," the spiky-haired teen responded, the confusion having left his tone.

"Ugh, I can't eat fish anymore," Kairi made a face, even though neither of her friends were looking at her. She knew that could _see _it in her voice anyway. "Ever since we took that trip to Altantica and Riku turned into a mermaid-"

"Merboy," Riku interjected.

"-I just cannot eat fish without thinking I'm eating someone's brother," Kairi finished, ignoring the silver-haired boy's amendment.

"I can still eat fish and squid 'cause the mermaids don't look exactly like fish and you weren't quite a squid…crab is another story," stated the cerulean-eyed boy with a touch of amusement to his voice. "What about you, Riku?"

Kairi smiled to herself again as she mentally noted a victory…so what if Sora could fight hoards of villains when she could play him like a fiddle.

"Between all the talking animals and the Nobodies, my opinion on so-called lesser life forms has become to strong to eat anything that has a brain," answered the turquoise-eyed boy, who also sounded slightly amused.

Sora chuckled and Kairi giggled. "Your mom would be so pleased," commented the auburn-haired girl as Sora made a sound of agreement beside her.

After a moment of comfortable silence, Sora started fidgeting. "Hey, Riku…?"

The turquoise-eyed boy turned his head slightly, "Hmm…?"

There was another brief, albeit more tense, silence before he asked resolutely, "Why did Leon call Mickey over here in the middle of the night last week?"

Kairi glanced over when she realised Riku was holding his breath. He was completely still for a moment before closing his eyes, taking a deep breath, and pulling a cell phone from his pocket. He flipped it open and pressed two keys before speaking a few seconds later.

"Squall…? Yeah…No, I'm fine. Can you give me a little more time before you come in here? No, I just have some explaining to do… Yeah…I think so… Thanks… Love you…bye…"

The silvered adolescent sighed and settled his gaze on the sky once more. "I can't explain all of it -I couldn't if I wanted to- but…when Mickey was called here…it was basically because I reached some form of angel puberty…"

Sora rolled on his side and supported his head on his hand so he could look over Kairi to see Riku. "What does that mean?"

Riku's voice grew slightly strained, "It means my body went through the physiological changes of an adolescent angel…"

Kairi turned her head to look at the older boy again. She had noticed something different about him aside form his melancholy aura, but could not quite put her finger on it. "You don't look that different…"

"I feel different," the turquoise-eyed boy replied sadly.

"Hey," Sora flung a hand past Kairi to hit Riku's arm lightly. "Remember what we said after your last big change? You're still Riku no matter what…we don't care if you're an angel, a master of shadows, or anything else…you're still Riku, right Kairi?"

"Who do you think you're talking to?" teased the inky-eyed girl lightly. "Who had to grab him so he wouldn't go and then make you see what your heart was trying to show you? Of course he's still our Riku…he always will be."

"I couldn't have said it better myself," stated a new voice.

All three teens sat up immediately and turned to see Zack and Leon standing several feet away. Both looked slightly sad, but calm and pleased.

Leon spoke as the trio stood slowly and Kairi wondered if there was any point in trying to brush off data created grass. "Do you want us to just tell Vincent and Cloud that you're taking a break today?"

"A break...?" The auburn-haired girl looked at Riku. "Did you have plans?"

The boy nodded, "Yeah, I've been sparring with Zack, Squall, Vincent, and Cloud to get used to…everything."

"Oh, can we watch?" Kairi replied cheerfully. "I always liked watching you guys spar on the islands. Maybe Sora can join in too…"

Both of the adults looked slightly uncomfortable. Zack spoke first, "As long as Sora and Riku don't spar each other, I think that would be fine…"

"Actually, we should team them up," commented Leon. "Sora might need to know the differences in fighting alongside Riku now, and if anything is going to happen, I'd rather it be when you, Cloud, Vincent, and I are there to step in."

Zack watched Riku for a moment; it looked as though they were communicating silently. Finally, he nodded and smiled slightly, "That's a good idea." Riku offered his godfather a smile in return.

"Perfect," Kairi grinned again, "And can I practice my supporting spells while I watch?"

"Yes, and you can focus on Sora and I," stated Leon with a slight smirk. "Against the rest of them, we'll need it…"

Zack smirked as well as the group began heading to the transport panel. "Of course you will…we're the elite, the best of the best, remember? Oh, and Kairi, do you want me to ask Aerith if she wants to come along too? I'm sure she'd love to give you some pointers."

The auburn-haired girl beamed at Riku and Leon's intertwined hands before turning to Zack, who was noting the same gesture with a small smile. "That would be great, thanks."

Sora fell back to walk beside Kairi and allowed the others to take the lead. When she looked over curiously, he just smiled at her. She was pleased to see it was his usual beaming smile. "I think we're going to be okay."

"Of course we will," she replied in her 'boys are so slow' tone of voice. "We have each other."

"Thanks Kairi."


	259. Buckshot

_Prompt: Buckshot _

_Given by: Nasdreks_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Leon/Riku, Post-Leon/Rinoa, Pre-Irvine/Rinoa, Zack/Aerith, Zell/Quistis, Post-Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi_)

* * *

"Irvine, how many guns did you bring on this trip?" asked Leon as the amethyst-eyed man pulled yet another weapon from his duffel bag.

"More than a few," replied the cowboy. "We've got some .45s, a few rifles, a buckshot, a couple of-"

"Dude, we're just shooting for fun…we aren't trying to overthrow a country," commented Zell as he too watched their friend unpack his arsenal.

"But you guys haven't seen any of my new toys," replied the sharpshooter. "Besides, a lot of the ladies find a guy who can handle a gun sexy and you need all the help you can get, Chicken Wuss."

"Excuse me, but I happen to be dating Quistis now," remarked the tattooed man smugly.

Irvine quirked an eyebrow and smirked, "Seriously…? Well, congrats man…don't know what a fine looking lady like Quistis sees in you, but I suppose she was bound to get over me eventually…"

"What! Oh hell no, she was never interested in you," retorted the blue-eyed man.

"Only in his dreams," commented Leon.

"Speaking of dreams…when am I going to meet this little boy-toy that's supposedly got you all gaga?" questioned the amethyst-eyed man. Then he shook his head quizzically. "You know, I never would have figured that of you. You got the whole dark and mysterious thing going on…draws woman like moths to a flame…hell, it got you a chance with Rinoa even. Wait, is that why-?"

"No," the steel-eyed man interrupted levelly. "The reason we gave you guys when we broke up was the actual reason. And his name is Riku…you'll meet him at dinner."

"Rin says he gorgeous," commented Irvine with a grin.

"He is," agreed the Gunblade wielder with a grin of his own, "But that isn't the half of it."

"I didn't figure it was, knowing you." The sharpshooter frowned at Zell's slightly disturbed expression. "What's with Chicken Wuss?"

As the blonde man looked away apologetically, Leon sighed. "Zell's still having some difficulty with me and Riku."

"Well I have to admit, you being with a guy is a bit of shock and all, but it's not like you were ever the ladies man I am," said Irvine with a shrug.

"It's not that," interjected the tattooed man indignantly. "I could care less if Squall -_Leon_, I meant Leon- were gay. I just have issues with…uh, pederasty."

The amethyst-eyed man paused and glanced at Leon, "How old is the kid?"

"He'll turn seventeen shortly after I turn twenty-seven," answered the scarred man steadily.

"Oh, that's not bad." Irvine turned back to the tattooed man. "Damn, Zell, you had me thinking the kid was like fourteen or something for a minute there. What's the big deal?"

Bright blue eyes blinked, "Aside from the risk of getting arrested for statutory rape-"

"A parent or the like would have to complain for those charges to stick," interrupted Irvine. "His mom's dead, his dad ain't in the picture, and his godfather is one of our friends who happens to know about the relationship, so even if Squall -er, Leon- was arrested, they'd have to let it go. Plus, the kid's a boy. it's going to be heard to prove in court that Leon was actually in him and I doubt the kid would testify against him."

Zell looked torn between shock and curiosity. "The hell…you actually don't find the idea of him doing…stuff like that to a kid disturbing at all?"

The amethyst-eyed man waved it off. "No, if pretty boy Shinra freaks are what does it for him, then-"

"What?" Leon interrupted, looking angry and surprised. "What did you just call him?"

"Oh, sorry…I didn't mean any offence by that…I just don't know what they called those super-soldier guys," answered the sharpshooter.

"How do you know about any of that?" questioned the scarred man.

"Well, it's mostly guesses, but remember Rin's dad used to be military, so she asked him some questions" stated Irvine. "He heard a bit about those, uh, super-soldiers Shinra was supposedly engineering and when one of their brightest scientists suddenly left and turned out pregnant, well it doesn't take a genius to do the math. She got knocked up while working at Shinra -with Hojo and the super soldiers- and then took off to work under Ansem the Wise -who even Shinra wouldn't mess with- right when she should have found out she was pregnant."

Oblivious to the stunned expressions on his friends' faces, the amethyst-eyed man continued. "So General Caraway figures the kid was supposed to be part of Hojo's project but Dr. Akeru backed out last minute and turned to Ansem the Wise for safety. He figures that Shinra caught up to them and that's why she and the baby suddenly disappeared right before everything went south. That's all just old military talk, though, and he doesn't know the kid you're dating is Dr. Akeru's kid...or that you're dating akid at all. Rin just put it together when she was talking to Aerith yesterday."

Zell suddenly looked at Leon, "Is any of that true?"

"No." The steel-eyed man had returned to a stoic expression. "He _is _Dr. Akeru's child, but he had nothing to do with Shinra. She just wanted to get into a different line of work before she had him and she left on her own. Riku's father was a threat to her and Riku…they had to hide to be safe from him."

Both of the other men looked pensive for a moment before Irvine suddenly looked at Leon questioningly. "Hold on…Aerith's Zack is the kid's godfather, right?" At the other men's nods, he continued. "So, is he the soldier who was usually babysitting for Dr. Akeru? General Caraway and his associates assumed they had become friends while she worked there and that she needed a soldier to protect him in case Shinra made a move for him while she wasn't around. Was that it or was he protecting him from his dad…or is he the dad? No, then you wouldn't let him have the kid…never mind that last one."

The Gunblade wielder took a deep breath. "Zack watched Riku a lot when he was a baby here _and _was appointed his godfather because he was friends with Hilargi -that's Dr. Akeru's given name. Riku's middle name is even Zackary after Zack."

"Oh…that's cool," commented the tattooed man. "I never knew all of that…although I guess they had to be friends since he's the godfather and all. I always thought he was friends with Riku's dad and he died or something, which is why they left."

"Funny how these stories spread," stated Irvine. "Imagine what they'll say about us one day."

"…I'd rather not," commented Leon.

"Yeah," the sharpshooter chuckled at his friend. "It's better to focus on the here and now anyway."

"Speaking of which," stated the steel-eyed man with a small smirk. "What's going on between you and Rinoa in the here and now? You know she's interested, right?"

"Hell, even I noticed that," remarked Zell.

"Hey, remember I'm not really that cool…and I'm not very sensitive," stated the amethyst-eyed man.

The scarred man arched an eyebrow. "She dated _me_. What makes you think either of those attributes are going to be an issue?"

"You do remember that I crumble under pressure, right?"

"Where's the pressure?" questioned Zell. "We just told you she's interested so you know you aren't getting shot down."

"Actually, knowing Rinoa, I wouldn't be surprised if she started trying to drag you out on dates soon…literally," added Leon dryly.

"Well, I wasn't sure if you…" Irvine gestured vaguely.

Steel-blue eyes rolled irritably. "I think Rinoa and I got over our break-up before any of you guys did…look, I'm happy. I have Riku and I wouldn't trade him for the world. Rinoa can date whoever she wants to and I'd like you guys to be happy too."

"Wow, you really have gone gaga over the kid," commented the sharpshooter.

"You have no idea," stated Zell with a smirk. "He even gave the kid his Griever ring…he wears it on a chain around his neck at all times."

"…Whatever."

"Ah, nice to know some things never change," stated Irvine with a grin. "Now are we gonna start shooting something or do you want to stand around and talk about girls and gossip all day?"

"No man, you do not want to call Riku a girl," Zell said with a grin as well. "Especially after handing Leon a gun…"

"Well at least I know you're the man of the relationship," commented Irvine, "So wouldn't that make the kid the girl?" Leon narrowed his eyes slightly.

The tattooed man chuckled, "It is on now…I think this shoot out just became a competition. No offence Irvine, but my Munny is on Squall -uh, Leon- sorry."

"Squall is fine," stated the scarred man levelly as he picked up a couple of the .45s and headed toward the range.

Irvine smirked at Zell's shocked expression while he gathered his rifles. "I think I like this kid already…"


	260. Leviathan

_Prompt: Leviathan _

_Given by: Nasdreks_

_Setting: Port Royal; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Leon/Riku, Sora/Penelo_

_Author's note: For those who have not noticed, whenever I write a story that takes place in Port Royal, it is generally meant to be humorous only. Thank you for reading and enjoy. _

_Additional thanks to Super Pup and Jediempress. _

* * *

Squall was glaring…Not that that was terribly unusual, but this particular glare was icy enough to freeze the Caribbean Sea. It was so fierce in fact, that the tavern wench, who at first had been so eager to try to 'serve' the group of handsome men at his table, was now dropping off tankards and scurrying away as quickly as possible in fear of the storm brewing in the silent man's eyes.

When Sora had once again wanted to visit Port Royal, a world that he had become particularly fond of for reasons that seemed to be beyond his silvered friend's comprehension, Riku had practically begged Squall to come with them. The steel-eyed man was not sure why the teen wanted him there so badly, but he was not about to refuse a suppliant Riku.

Rather than being put off by the fact that his best friend wanted to bring his boyfriend along, Sora had thought it a brilliant idea and decided that he would bring his girlfriend so the two couples could share a much-needed vacation. For a brief time, Squall had actually looked forward to it, as the idea of a week spent on white shores and warm waters with Riku, on a world where no one knew them, was definitely a welcomed one.

However, that little fantasy was disillusioned swiftly, for it seemed that wherever the two Keybearers went, adventure and danger just could not resist but to follow. Now they were teaming up with an odd alcoholic pirate and his daft crew, on an island full of the worst this world's society had to offer, searching for some Leviathan because Sora and Riku wanted to destroy it to protect the world's sailors and the pirate wanted something it was guarding.

Ignoring the frivolous babbling of the strange pirate captain sitting across from him, Squall continuously shifted his eyes to take in his surroundings. The tavern the previously mentioned pirate had chosen for them to meet seemed to be the common gathering location for the foulest men to grace this dirty little world. He had already seen two fights break out, three men robbed, numerous 'favours' purchased, and what he was sure was some sort of illegal trading of goods.

Down the table, Penelo was attached to Sora's side as she glared at a wench who was shamelessly flirting with the spiky-haired teen while she refilled his rum. The cerulean-eyed boy's attention quickly returned to the blonde-haired girl beside him, and he draped an arm over her shoulders and whispered something before pecking her on the cheek.

Riku sat beside Squall at the opposite end of the table, although he was not sitting quite as close to him as Penelo was to Sora. The turquoise-eyed boy was not drinking and kept his face downcast, his eyes avoiding those around him as he took peeks at Sora and the pirate while they formulated a deal to seek the Leviathan together. To anyone else in the tavern, the silver-haired teen probably appeared bored or thoughtful, but Squall recognised that his young lover was uncomfortable.

Many of the pirates here, either mistaking him for a girl in their inebriated state or otherwise simply not caring about his gender, had made some rather unwelcome propositions to the boy. Squall discreetly shifted his hand over to rest atop the boy's, which was gripping the bench they were seated on in discomfort or frustration. Riku's eyes flickered to the scarred man before his grip loosened as Squall stroked the boy's wrist with his thumb.

The steel-eyed man was beginning to see why his young lover seemed to have a particular aversion to pirates. While Sora was still thinking of the men from an old storybook that they had read as children, Riku generally was given a good look at the less appealing aspects of the breed. Squall had always assumed the boy despised Captain Hook's men due to their incompetence and lack of intelligence but after this, he definitely intended to question that presumption.

Squall's free hand clenched hard enough for his nails to dig into his skin when yet another drunken pirate sauntered over to lewdly offer Riku a position as cabin boy on his ship. The scarred man's glare intensified further as he directed it toward the man while Riku refused in his usual soft, level tone. The tavern wench scurried away so quickly that she spilled some rum over the arm of the strange captain's first mate in her haste to leave the table.

Steel blue eyes glanced forward again, the flamboyant captain was still prattling away to a rather amused Sora. Squall simply could not relate to the people who filled this tavern and, as it seemed, this particular island. They paid very little mind to their actions as well as the actions of those around them; did not seem to care for the community or the town in the least; and probably could not even tell you what was legal or otherwise, let alone be bothered to follow the law…or any sense of morals.

Therefore, when the next intoxicated pirate approached Riku with a lustful glint in his eyes, the scarred man decided that the rewards for brash actions would far outweigh any consequences that they might encounter in such a world. He silently but forcefully grabbed Riku by the waist, pulled the boy onto his lap, and captured his mouth in a decidedly possessive kiss.

Turquoise eyes widened slightly as Riku gasped in surprise, which Squall took full advantage of, then the boy's eyes slipped closed as he gripped his boyfriend's shoulders and returned the unexpected show of affection and possession. As the teen shifted in his lap, Squall slipped one hand under the boy's shirt to slide along his smooth back, while he buried the other hand in the boy's silver locks.

It was not until he felt the boy's lungs protesting the lack of oxygen that Squall broke the kiss. He smirked slightly when Riku took a deep breath and then breathed the word _wow_ against his lips. Steel blue remained locked onto turquoise for a brief moment before Riku returned the smirk.

Squall's hand remained on the small of the teen's back as Riku rested his head on the man's shoulder, while the scarred man's other hand brushed some hair away from the boy's face before it rested around the teen's slender waist. Steel-blue eyes glanced around the tavern quickly; while several men seemed disappointed that the pretty boy obviously belonged to him, no one seemed bothered by the fact that Squall had just made his relationship with an underage male unmistakably clear.

With a content sigh, Squall returned his attention to the captain across the table.

Jack smirked at him and raised his tankard, "Welcome to Tortuga, mate."

The scarred man inclined his head in form of reply, thinking that maybe this trip would not be so bad after all.


	261. Crux

_Prompt: Crux_

_Given by: Lady - Kitsune - Kawaii_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII; Post Traitor, Brittle & Canister_

_Pairings: Leon/Riku, Zack/Aerith, Cloud/Reno, Post-Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi)_

* * *

Leon all but ran into Zack's house, with Reno a few paces behind him. Zack and Cloud were in the sitting room, going through several files and stacks of papers. The steel-eyed man only said one word, "…Riku?"

"He's still unconscious," replied Zack, looking incredibly shaken and tired. "But he's alright."

Leon did not move. "What happened?"

"I think you're gonna want to sit down, yo," commented Reno as he walked around the Gunblade wielder to sit on the sofa with Cloud. He immediately grabbed a file off the coffee table and started flipping through it.

The former SeeD walked to the vacant armchair near Zack with a foreboding expression. The violet-eyed man sighed and ran a hand through his already dishevelled hair. "Riku's filled you in up until today, right?"

At Leon's curt nod, the raven-haired man began, "I should have known something was wrong sooner, but I just thought it was because of everything that's been happening…first the issue with Sora, then Seph's death and rebirth, and finding out about Jenova's cells…and I've had this feeling, but I didn't know what it was. I hoped I was just being overprotective."

"Riku hasn't felt right either," commented Leon evenly. "He's been sore and tired constantly…even when he isn't doing anything. He's also lost a lot of weight, as I'm sure you've noticed. He said he didn't know what was wrong. I thought it was from keeping himself blocked off, since it started around the time they returned."

"That was what I thought too." Zack frowned, "But there was a different feeling today. It was more urgent. I didn't figure out what was going on until a few hours ago. I was sensing that Ku was in trouble…that he was scared and in pain. I got here just after the wing broke through. Ku said he heard Sephiroth speaking, but he doesn't think he was talking to him…Ku blocked him out quickly, but he was already in a lot of pain by then."

The scarred man stiffened, "He has a wing?"

"Not anymore, yo."

"One of you better explain that quickly," Leon stated after a brief moment of silence followed Reno's remark.

"We couldn't stay here with Riku like that." Zack's eyes were moist and distant as he stared at the stack of pages on his coffee table that he was obviously not looking at, "Ku wanted to be rid of it, so we removed it."

"You…?" Steel blue eyes widened slightly before they closed. "Is he going to be okay?"

"He's in shock, he's going to have a pretty notable scar over his left shoulder blade, and he's going to have to have to go through some medical tests he probably thought were behind him already," replied the violet-eyed man thickly. "Then he's going to have to learn to live with all of this."

The Gunblade wielder took a shaky breath and nodded numbly. After another brief pause, he looked at Zack again. "What do you mean medical tests? The wing's gone…what else might have changed?"

"According to Hilargi's research and my own thoughts on this…a lot," replied Zack bitterly. "Wings don't equal flight on their own…and there's more to being what Ku is than just having a wing and a pretty face. The body has to make other adaptations."

Again, the scarred man nodded slowly. "What adaptations? …And has he gone through them already or is he going to now?"

"I think it started just before we noticed that something was wrong," explained Zack, looking at the pages he had been holding when Leon arrived. "It would explain why he's been sore and tired…today was just the crux. He probably has a few final changes before he's done. I'll aim to run the tests in a week…that should give him enough recovery time."

"What are the tests and what do you think these changes are?" Leon's tone indicated his displeasure at the thought of Riku having to go through more of the tests that he always hated.

"I'm sorry, Leon, this is hard for me too," remarked Zack shakily. He took a deep breath before continuing in a calmer tone. "Hilargi's thoughts and my own, as well as the research performed on Riku, Seph, and the others, all points to the same adaptations being needed. For the wing to function, his skeletal and muscle structure would have to change to account for the new appendage…there are also nerve endings and all of that. Then to allow for flight, he would have to become as lightweight as possible…it isn't physically possible for a human Riku's size to be as light as he was when I carried him a couple hours ago, so the changes have definitely taken affect to that extent."

The former-FIRST CLASS ran a hand though his hair again. "The bones in the wing were definitely hollow, and the rest of his bones are probably the same, with some sort of struts or trusses crisscrossing through them to keep them strong enough to support Riku's body without weighting so much…they're going to break much easier now. His muscle structure would also have to be more lightweight, but tougher than normal as well…so at least his skin and muscles won't damage easily."

"The others' metabolic rates changed…their bodies needed more oxygen, like a bird. Their respiratory and circulatory systems changed to handle that. Air sacs developed, their lungs needed constant ventilation, and their heart had to work harder." Zack shook his head slowly, "It all fits why Ku's been losing weight and feeling so worn. Not only has be going through these changes, but he's probably producing little to no fat now and his entire body has been trying to drop the weight that would prevent flight from being possible in other ways like allowing the organs that aren't necessary to basically die and be absorbed or something..."

"Plus, it's probably just hard for the body to go through all of that in a few weeks," added Reno, finally looking up from the report he had been reading. "The lightweight thing would also explain how fast those guys are…and with their muscle and skin being stronger. It also explains their dexterity and flexibility, yo. No wonder those bastards were so hard to fight…having weak bones doesn't mean shite if you can't actually hit them."

Cloud looked up with a perplexed expression, "Don't birds go into shock really easy? Why isn't the same true for them?"

"It probably is, but we've never gotten that far and stuck around to see the effects," Reno looked unusually thoughtful. "If you could nail one of 'em, then they'd probably bleed out quicker considering what their pulse rate must be. Of course they heal quicker than we do -'we' meaning Stone Cold and I- You better not get all bent about not being able to kill Sephiroth ever again after we've learned all of this, yo."

"Okay, back to Riku now," interrupted Leon as he turned to look at Zack again. "What tests will prove whether all of this is accurate or not?"

"Hilargi mapped it all out for us," replied the raven-haired man, indicating a page he had obviously read before; "X-rays, MRIs, ultrasounds, blood tests, an EKG, some stuff I can't even pronounce, eye tests…I guess his eyesight is going to improve and he'll see better in the dark…like he needed that. His other senses might be affected too then...we should add a hearing test and I don't know if there even are standard tests for touch or taste. We can run all of these ourselves at the labs, but the problem is finding someone who can read the results _and _is willing to without telling anyone or even knowing who the patient is…"

"What about Dr. Sid?" questioned Cloud; "He's supposedly crazy, but he's the only one at his level who was never tied to Shinra and he's willing to believe things that other scientists won't. He also has a lot of respect for other life forms, so he won't have the usual reaction of wanting to run more tests or experiments that aren't needed to help Riku."

"Aerith knows him," remarked Zack with a nod. "I'll run it by her when she gets home…after I fill her in. We'll need her to check out some of the less-physiological changes too."

"What are the less-physiological changes?" questioned Leon with another weary breath.

"Well his life force or magica -whatever you want to call it- would probably increase according to Hilargi," said the violet-eyed man, sounding a little less distant. "I don't know if certain traits count as physical or metaphysical. Cloud and I will have to try test out the whole Jenova-bond thing…"

"You know, he already had some the traits present in the others," commented Reno. "He could sense shite like people approaching or how Fair and Sephiroth were feeling. He already had hyper-healing and a high magic rate…and some pretty unique abilities…Kid's gonna be pretty damn impressive now."

"Yeah, if he stays sane," remarked Cloud, who immediately seemed to regret his tone when both Zack and Leon looked at him sharply. "I don't mean it like that, but he was a little insecure on the whole 'I'm not human' thing when there wasn't this much proof glaring him in the face. How would either of you react to these kinds of changes? I know I wouldn't handle it well… And we don't know what this did to the bond between him and Sephiroth…or either of us, Zack."

The violet-eyed man sighed as he looked towards the hall. "I don't know if it's just because I'm worried or focused on him, but I can sense Ku easier now."

"Did this happen because of the others?" asked Leon abruptly. "Or because of everything that's been happening? Why would this happen _now_? I know the past several weeks have been particularly hard on him, but Riku was _happy _before that…and he seemed to be holding out alright even-" The scarred man turned his face away and took a deep breath.

"I know exactly what you mean," stated Zack quietly. "I kept wondering the same thing. _Why now?_ However, I've been thinking about that too…and I don't think anything that's happened actually caused this. I think he just reached the point that actual angels, or hybrids at least, go through this change."

"Well there isn't any point in worrying about all these theories until you get those tests done, yo." Reno stood and stretched. "So what do we do in the meantime?"

Leon stood as well. "I want to see Riku…I'm not going to wake him, but…I just need to see him."

Zack nodded, "I don't want him to wake up alone anyway. Want to take shifts?" He stood as the scarred man nodded. "I'm going to clean up the evidence before he wakes…hopefully I'll have the house done before Aer gets home too."

"Do you want to hang onto the wing for testing or do you want to get rid of it?" questioned the Turk.

Zack appeared to think for a minute before responding resolutely, "Get rid of it."

Cloud stood as the redhead nodded and headed into the kitchen. "We'll take care of that while you clean up. Do you want me to come back when we're done?"

The violet-eyed man shook his head and offered the blonde a small, apprehensive smile as the Turk headed toward the bathroom with a garbage bag. "No. Thanks Cloud. I'll never be able to repay you for all of this…"

"We'll just count us as even for all the times I owed you," replied the azure-eyed man. He glanced over as Reno re-entered the room, the garbage bag in his hand obviously filled now. They both turned towards the front door. "Keep me updated."

"I will," the raven-haired man answered as his friend closed the door behind him. He turned and saw that Leon had gone to Riku already. Then he headed to the bathroom to start cleaning up.

He hated waiting.


	262. Redeem

_Prompt: Redeem_

_Given by: Lady - Kitsune - Kawaii_

_Setting: Twilight Town; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Implied Leon/Riku, Post-Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi)_

* * *

Sunset Hill was surprisingly vacant that evening. Perhaps it was because the local students were not yet out for summer vacation, or because the night still brought a decent chill with it, even in the late spring.

The entire area seemed vacant as the sun began its decent past the horizon, save for one young man, who leaned against the railings that prevented anyone from accidentally crashing into the waves below.

Even with the dimming light of the day's end and the soft glow of the cigarette hanging from his lips as the only light, his fire red hair and emerald green eyes still stood out brightly. He wore a dark green turtleneck sweater, black leather pants, and black boots. This particular young man tended to run hot, and so he never wore a coat.

Well, not anymore.

Axel sighed as he watched the setting sun. He was beginning to wonder if the one he was waiting for was actually going to arrive that day. He knew the boy would come, but was not sure how soon he would be able to leave his home world. He also was not sure if the boy would still be able to find him with so little to go on.

After a lazy glance around showed no signs of life save for himself, Axel decided that he would give it until dark anyway.

Then, a soft, familiar, voice spoke from the growing shadows, "Catch."

With a smirk, the redhead turned and was just able to catch a small object flying towards his head. He glanced at the shimmering item in his hand. It was his favourite lighter. He had left it where he knew the teen would find it, along with a note that only read; _Meet me at dusk._

The young man's smirk bloomed into a grin when a silvered teen stepped out of the shadows with a small smile on his face, "Hey…long time."

Axel chuckled, "Only you would greet me like that." Emerald eyes scanned over the boy. "You cut your hair…and something else is different. I can put my finger on it…you look good though."

"Thanks; so do you," replied the turquoise-eyed boy as he stepped alongside Axel to lean on the railing as the elder had been a moment prior. "I never realised how nice the view from here is."

Axel turned and resumed his former position, only this time his attention was on the teen beside him instead of the sunset. "You weren't able to take it in before. I didn't pay much attention to it back then either."

Riku turned his head and met Axel's eyes for the first time since they met. "How…?"

Now the redhead completely understood what he boy had meant when he said he wore the blindfold all that year because his eyes could not lie. Not only were more words unnecessary, but Axel also did not think the boy needed to say that one while he was staring at him with those eyes. "I don't know…"

The former Nobody continued searching those expressive eyes as he spoke, finding that they were like a crash course on emotion and suppression. "This kid used to tell me all kinds of mental theories…I thought he might just be too pure to get it, but now, I believe him. He said that hearts were unpredictable and that I was never without feeling…that I was somebody. I guess I proved him right."

Riku smiled again, and the redhead noted that the happiness reflected in his eyes was brighter than that suggested by the faint expression. "I told you I knew what I was talking about."

The emerald-eyed man smirked again, "Play it cool all you want, but I know you missed me." The smirk fell to a surprised expression when the teen actually flushed slightly. "Oh this I have to hear…"

Grin unfaltering, the silver-haired boy turned to look out at the horizon again. "Well, there was a lot going on at the time…I had just learned about my mother shortly before and Squall had totally - and literally- forgotten about me…but I sort of cried when Sora casually mentioned your sacrifice…"

The smirking man actually laughed, "You '_sort of _cried'? I might be new the whole heart bit, but I think you either cry or you don't."

Riku rolled his eyes, "I cried, okay? …But I wasn't sobbing or anything…and like I said, it was just too much in too short a time span, you know?"

Axel nodded, "I'm guessing the forgetting thing was Naminé's doing?" He nodded again at Riku's silent confirmation. "What happened to your mom?"

The grin fell from the adolescent's face and an old sorrow became more prominent in his eyes before he lowered his head. "She died…when I opened the door."

"Hey," the redhead hit the boy's arm with his elbow. "You didn't know _anything _back then…and wasn't she sick to begin with? For all you knew, opening that door could have lead you to a way to save her. You took a risk, but you didn't know the stakes. You learned from it. Move on."

Startled turquoise eyes rose to meet emerald again. "You've changed a little…"

"So have you," remarked Axel, lighting another cigarette. The teen declined when he silently offered him one, as he had suspected the boy would. "Does Squall still have no idea about you and him?"

Something that Axel could now recognise as hope and devotion suddenly stirred to life again in the boy's eyes. "No…he remembered after I came home…to Radian Garden. He says his heart remembered because mine did."

The redhead snorted again. "Why do you keep attracting saps?"

Riku shook his head, "No idea. What about you…?"

"Well, as I guess Sora mentioned," Axel couldn't help but smirk once more but did not bring up the boy crying now that he looked okay again, "I sacrificed myself to save the little pain in the ass, well, the part I cared about mostly, but I digress... I thought I joined the darkness but then there was this light…the next thing I knew, I felt lighter…then I woke up here. I got a job and a condominium…and a few people who I guess are friends. None like you or Roxas, of course…I didn't expect to find anyone like either of you though. Mainly I've been trying to figure out what to do with myself and trying to get used to this."

Without further ado, the redhead grabbed the silvered adolescent's hand and brought it over his heart. He had never seen the boy truly smile before that moment. The emotions in the teen's eyes were overwhelming to the former Nobody.

Riku voice was an awed whisper when he spoke next, his hand still feeling the steady beating of his friend's heart. "Axel…"

The named man smiled in kind. "…I know."

After another brief moment, Riku removed his hand and the two friends turned to look out at the rising moon. Neither spoke for a moment as they each thought over what they had learned from the other.

Axel eventually broke the silence. "So you're in Radiant Garden now? I take it that's where you were originally from…? How did you get here?"

The teen grinned again. "Yes; yes; and I borrowed a Gummi from a friend named Cid…I left a note for my dad, but he's still going to freak when he suddenly realises that he can't feel me in the world."

"You're dad?" asked the redhead. "I thought…"

"I'm living with my godfather…that's who I meant," explained the teenager. "Kairi insists on calling him my dad when we talk and this is the third time I've slipped now."

The emerald-eyed man nodded, "From what I remember of her and Naminé, that sounds right…she probably does it on purpose."

"Yeah;" Riku turned his head to look at the young man once more. "Are you going to stay here? How did you get that message to me anyway?"

"I got some help from Yen Sid…although I think either that King friend of yours intervened or the old sorcerer just wanted me out of his damn tower." Axel met the silver-haired teen's eyes. "I don't know. I think I am, for a while at least…at first I stayed because I didn't have a way to leave. I haven't been able to open any paths since I came back. This place also reminded me of Roxas…and you. Besides, people here know nothing; what would the people of Radiant Garden think if I showed up?"

"Not much actually," replied the turquoise-eyed boy. "You'd attract some attention, but they wouldn't know who you were. If I can remain undetected there, then so can you. A couple of my d- er, godfather's friends are rebuilding Midgar, and some of Squall's friend's and his family are rebuilding Esthar and Balamb…you could go to either of them if you wanted. There's plenty of work to be done and no one would think twice of you showing up."

Emerald eyes looked slightly calculating as Axel studied the boy. "You wouldn't be able to keep it from your friend's that you know me…not that I'd want to anyway. Would any of them be bothered by the truth and would they be able to keep it to themselves?"

"I would only tell a few the whole story…at first anyway," replied the teen thoughtfully. "If they can keep my secrets, which I'll have to fill you in on later, then they can keep yours. Zack and Squall might be a bit protective of me at first, but they'll get over it soon enough…although it might be hard to tell in Squall's case. The others will accept you. Even if a couple are weary of you at first, they won't do anything about it as long as you don't give them any reason to and they'll get over it too."

The redhead continued staring into his friend's eyes for another minute before he smirked again. "Then let's go home."

Riku smiled. "The Gummi's this way."

Axel walked alongside the boy as they returned to his ship. "So will you have enough time to fill me in on these secrets of yours and the whole 'coming from a different world' thing on the way?"

"I think so…" Turquoise eyes flicked over to the redhead. "And I think you have some stories to tell too."

The emerald-eyed man nodded, "Yeah, but I don't have your patience, so you go first on the big stuff and then we'll have time to fill in all the little blanks later."

The silvered teen nodded as well, "That will work."


	263. Sneeze

_Prompt: Sneeze_

_Given by: New Reader_

_Setting: Gummi ship, somewhere between Twilight Town and Radiant Garden; Post-KHII, Post Redeem_

_Pairing: Implied Leon/Riku, Zack/Aerith, Post-Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi)_

* * *

Axel glanced at the boy to his left after an odd sound came from that direction. "Was that a sneeze?"

"Yes," answered the teen, clearly wondering where that was going.

The redhead chuckled, "Why don't you let it all out…just sneeze like a man."

"That _was _letting it all out," remarked Riku with slightly narrowed brows. "Excuse me for not spraying half the cockpit like you."

"Okay, okay," Axel continued to watch the boy beside him for a while. After a moment, he gained a thoughtful expression.

The turquoise-eyed boy looked at his friend quizzically, "What…?"

"You only sneezed once," commented the emerald-eyed man as he lit a cigarette.

"Yeah…so…?"

"Isn't there some saying about that?" The redhead leaned back in the co-pilots chair. "If you only sneeze once, then someone somewhere is praising you. If you sneeze twice, they're talking trash about you. If you sneeze three times, you're being scolded. And if you sneeze four or more times, you've got a cold."

Riku leaned back in the pilots chair as well. The ship was on autopilot, so they did not actually have to do very much. "Well, if someone is praising me, I'll give you three guesses who…then you should get it by process of elimination if all else fails…"

Axel snorted, "That better be your self-depreciative side showing or I'm going to have to kick some arse when we get to Radiant Garden."

"Did you not hear most of what I've explained so far?" questioned the silvered adolescent sardonically.

"Oh, who cares about any of that," remarked the emerald-eyed man. "Any shite starts going down, you're the one I want in my corner…human or not. And who was honestly surprised that you're some little angel-freak?"

"You actually mean that…don't you?" questioned the teen in something close to wonder.

"Did you care that I wasn't human before? Why would whatever you are mean anything to me now?" The redhead paused when he noticed a heavy emotion swimming in the teen's eyes. "Are you crying?"

"No," Riku glanced at him through his bangs.

Axel tilted his head and studied the boy's eyes as he thought for a moment. "You're…touched…_Really _touched. Why…?"

The turquoise-eyed boy pulled a knee against his chest and shook his head as he looked out the view screen.

The emerald-eyed young man cleared his throat, "I'm still waiting…"

The silvered teen released a small sigh before speaking softly but steadily. "There are only a few others that know the recent stuff…but nearly all of them have tried to convince me that it's okay because I'm still human. The thing is…I know I'm _not _human. Even if no one told me, I can feel it…I can feel a difference. It's like, I wasn't quite human to begin with, but now…I'm even further from it."

"I also know that _they_ know I'm not human…and that they're aware of both these facts. Therefore, they have to know that I'm not going to believe them when they lie to me about this…that it doesn't do me any good. I know they mean well, but every time they try to convince me that I'm still human, I feel like what they're actually saying is that it's not okay that I'm not…that _they're _not okay with it. They'd rather lie to themselves and to me than admit it…and that really gets to me because I need them to be okay with it because I _can't _be anything but a freak...not anymore."

Turquoise eyes wearily turned to the stunned redhead, and Riku offered his friend a soft, slightly sad, smile. "So it really means a lot to me that you can acknowledge what I am and just say that it doesn't matter to you…that it doesn't change anything."

"You know, that's the most you've ever spoken at once without me _making _you talk more since we met?" commented the emerald-eyed man. He snorted when Riku rolled his eyes with a grin. "Of course it doesn't change anything…before we both thought the other was human, now, we know we weren't…but we're still _us_, right? Wasn't that your big point before? The fact that you exist means that you were supposed to or something like that…?"

The silver-haired teen nodded, still wearing a small grin. Axel smirked in return, "Then, by your own theory -which I whole_heart_edly believe now by the way-, doesn't that mean that you and I were supposed to be whatever we are now and that we have every right to be, just because we are? One thing all of our past mistakes have taught me, is that the ones who don't get it probably aren't worth the effort to make them…I'm not going to waste my time on anyone who can't just get over what I am and accept who I am."

"I knew I liked you for a reason," commented the turquoise-eyed boy with a small smile.

"Of course, who wouldn't?" replied the redhead with a Cheshire-cat grin. "Besides, if all else fails, we got each other…and I doubt Sora or Kairi are going to care. Speaking of which, don't tell them about me until the next time they visit Radiant Garden…I definitely want to see the looks on their faces when they hear I'm back and we're friends."

Riku chuckled, "That is going to be fun. Sora's mouth is going to work like a guppy for a minute and Kairi's going to ream you out for that kidnapping incident. I wonder if the parts of them that still feel like Naminé and Roxas will effect their reactions…"

"The parts that _feel _like them?" questioned Axel with a quizzical expression. "What does that mean?"

"Well, they're both one person again, but sometimes -especially with Kairi, I think it's because I was actually friends with Naminé- they react to something or start talking about something and it feels more like I'm talking to Naminé or dealing with Roxas. It occurs most when Sora gets angry or Kairi gets pensive…which they do more often now than before..." The teen gestured vaguely with a slender hand.

"Before there ever was a Naminé and a Roxas," finished the emerald-eyed man. He took another drag from his cigarette as the turquoise-eyes boy nodded. "That's interesting…I guess Naminé was right too. They didn't disappear after all. They're whole." He nodded and grinned again. "That's good. I'm happy for them. So what are we going to say when we get to Radiant Garden?"

"Well, Cid, Zack, Squall, and probably Aerith will be there as soon as we touch down," replied the silvered adolescent. "First I'll have to assure them that I'm fine and then they'll ask who you are right away. I've told Squall and Zack about you -and Zack probably told Aerith- and I've mentioned you to Cid and Vincent but not by name…so they'll be a little confused and surprised, but it's not like stranger things haven't happened."

The redhead snorted, "That's the truth. Did you notice while both of us were filling the other in that neither of us ever batted an eye at anything the other said? I hope I'm there the next time someone decides to try to mess with Kingdom Hearts, because you know as soon as they pull something that they think will intimidate or shock you and Sora, you're just gonna roll your eyes and kick their arse."

The silvered teen snorted now and Axel grinned. Suddenly, emerald eyes blinked before turning to Riku again, "Hey…did you ever figure out how to use elemental magic?"

The turquoise-eyed boy shook his head. "Nope, I'm still just using dark and light…and that healing thing I do. But Sora's the complete opposite, so we should be good."

Axel studied the boy for a moment, "I could see you doing well with air…we'll have to test it. Naturally, I still rock with fire…"

"Of course," stated the teenager with a nod and a grin.

The redhead's smirk deepened. "Actually, it's been way to long since I used my full arsenal…we're gonna have to spar sometimes. I don't want my chakram skills getting rusty."

Riku nodded, "Sparring sounds fun…but I doubt you're rusty. You might have to get used to your body's changes though…I'm still working on that."

"True," Axel nodded and looked vaguely thoughtful. "I guess I actually have to worry about things like bleeding to death now, huh? Oh well, you gain some, you lose some. I think it's a fair trade," he stated with a smile.

The silvered teenager smiled softly in return. Radiant Garden was not going to know what hit it…and honestly, he could not wait to see what a world with Axel truly in it entailed.


	264. Backlash

_Prompt: Backlash_

_Given by: Lady - Kitsune - Kawaii_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII; Post Crux_

_Pairings: Leon/Riku, Zack/Aerith, Post-Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi)_

_Author's note: One of the 'angelic proofs' mentioned in the second paragraph was inspired by the book Memnoch the Devil, which I hold no rights to; Thank you for reading and enjoy._

* * *

Leon sat on the edge of Riku's bed, turned so that he could watch the boy. The silvered teen was still lying on his stomach, just as Zack had left him, with his head turned and the blankets not quite covering the bandage that hid a very recent, but nearly healed wound on his left shoulder blade.

The scarred man brushed some of the boy's hair off his face and wondered why he had not noticed that Riku was changing before, or how no one else suspected what he was. He ran a thumb over the boy's fine jaw line, feeling the smooth, fair skin. A life spent in wind, sun, sparring and exploring, and later, in darkness and fighting battles, should have damaged it more. Even at Riku's age, there was practically no hair on the teen's body aside from the long locks spilling over the pillow. Zack said Sephiroth had been the same way…

Steel blue eyes closed as Leon took a deep breath. He had already decided that he was not going to make those types of comparisons. He looked at the unconscious boy again; in truth, he did not look that different than he had before. Once he was properly dressed and moving, only the few individuals who knew him well would notice the changes. The sable-haired man did not know if that meant he should feel relieved that no one else would probably notice, or ashamed that he had not noticed sooner.

The former SeeD brushed the silvered adolescent's hair back again. The turquoise-eyed boy had not moved, but Riku had always found the gesture comforting in the past. He leaned down to speak softly to his unconscious young lover. "You're still my Sydän…" and then he placed a soft kiss to the teen's bare shoulder, just far enough from his injury not to harm it.

Leon sat up straight with slightly widened eyes when he felt a shiver run through Riku's body just before the silver-haired boy released a soft moan.

He carefully placed a hand on the small of the boy's back; "Riku…?"

The silvered adolescent took a deep, slightly shaky, breath. "Mm…" He slowly shifted his hands against the mattress near his chest and pushed himself up. Leon immediately grabbed his arms to help him.

"Slowly," the scarred man loosened his grip on the teenager's arms as the boy sat on his knees, then slowly turned to sit with his legs folded under him, facing Leon. His eyes were closed tightly and his body was tense. "Riku…?"

The silver-haired boy nodded once in acknowledgment. After a brief moment, that felt much longer to Leon, the teen's svelte body relaxed slightly just before turquoise eyes opened and blinked a few times, finally settling on the scarred man.

Leon immediately felt relieved…Riku's eyes were the same, although a little more weary than usual. He stroked the teen's arms. "Riku…are you…can you remember what happened?"

The turquoise-eyed boy's voice was soft but not weak, "Everything until just after Cloud broke…_it_…"

The steel-eyed man nodded, "Reno knocked you out. How do you feel? Can you…hear anything or…-?"

"I can still block _him _out, if that's what you're worried about," commented the teenager. He offered his boyfriend a small, cheerless smile. "I feel strange…and my shoulder hurts like hell."

Leon released a dry, relieved chuckle. "That isn't surprising…" He rubbed the teen's arms again as he met his eyes and both sobered immediately. "Why did you want it done so quickly?"

Riku closed his eyes again. "Zack was already starting to worry about the inevitable backlash…and he was right; I couldn't stay here like that. I can only think of one place I could go and I know Zack wouldn't stay behind. You'd probably come after the restoration was-"

"You think I'd wait that long?" interrupted the steel-eyed man.

Turquoise eyes were on him again immediately. "You…you'd actually leave the restoration early?"

"Under these circumstances, yes," stated Leon without hesitance. "And of course Zack would leave with us…it wasn't easy for Mickey to stop him from leaving with you the first time. You and I wouldn't stand a chance in talking him out of it."

"He wanted to leave with me before?" questioned the teenager, looking slightly lost.

"Yes, but you can talk to him about that later," replied the scarred man as he brushed Riku's hair aside again. "…So you did it for us."

"And for me," amended the silver-haired boy. "I _want _to stay here…with you…for as long as I can. It wouldn't be long if I stayed that way. I wouldn't be able to pretend that I was human anymore…"

Leon felt his heart clench at the sadness that filled the teen's expressive eyes at that statement. "Hey," he eased the boy closer to him, practically pulling him onto his lap, and was surprised at how light he was. The steel-eyed man recalled Zack saying that it was not physically possible for a human Riku's size to be as light as the teen had become…he had been right. Suddenly Leon was not so certain about assuring the boy of his humanity.

Turquoise eyes fell and the scarred man decided to try anyway. "You're still human," he spoke softly as he wrapped his arms around the near-weightless form. One of his hands could feel the teen's heartbeat through his back; it was quicker than it normally had been. He stroked the spot anyway, "_This _makes you human."

For a second it looked as though Riku were about to cry, but before Leon could blink, the silvered adolescent's chest was pressed against him and the boy's face was tucked against his neck. The way Riku suddenly tensed was enough to tell Leon that even he had not been expecting to move so quickly. He still needed to get used to his new musculature and skeletal structure. The former SeeD held on tighter, wondering whom he was comforting at this point.

The turquoise-eyed boy surprised him by breaking the silence. His voice was tight but steady. "How much does Zack know…how much do you know…?"

The scarred man sighed. "I think Zack has read every note Hilargi ever scribbled down on you or the others at this point…she also had a few hypotheses about how all of it might take effect with you. One of them sounds probable and it fits the circumstances, as well as the conclusion that Zack had reached on his own after reading all of the notes on Sephiroth and you. He told me, Cloud, and Reno about it."

Riku made no sounds or movements, and that worried Leon. He stroked the teen's back once again, being careful not to upset the wound on his shoulder. "Hilargi…her notes have a lists of tests, which she said would be able to show the physical changes. Zack…"

"…Needs to have them performed on me," finished the silvered teenager when Leon's voice halted longer than usual. The scarred man felt the boy's breath ghost across his clavicle and knew the teen had released a silent sigh. The feel of long lashes brushing over his throat told him Riku had closed his eyes. "I wonder what's going to change this time…"

Those last words, as well as the despondent tone in which they were murmured, made Leon even more worried. He knew Riku had always hated the tests he had to endure as a child, but had never allowed his mother to know about it…and that the list of what procedures other physicians were allowed to perform on the boy always changed after each development. That way, no one else would find out that he was not entirely human…

The steel-eyed man took a deep breath. He did not want to add to the teen's troubles by allowing him to know that he thought of the boy as anything other than human. Until Riku had accepted what he was, he did not want to risk that the boy would not be able to see that he still thought of him as a person…or that his feelings had not changed.

Leon found himself tightening his grip on the slight weight in his arms again, he was pleased to notice that Riku still felt warm and substantial. "It won't be the same as before. Zack will answer any questions you ask of him and you don't have to shield him as you did your mother. The same goes for me; I'll be there for you every step of the way…I promise. You aren't alone this time."

The turquoise-eyed boy released a small sound, which could have been a choked-back sob, a sad laugh, or a scoff. His next words were whispered, "You have no idea how true that is…"

The scarred man stilled for a moment while he thought that over. "…Zack said he can sense you easier now. Is it stronger on your end too?"

Riku nodded against his boyfriend's neck. "It's like when you're scared and all your instincts go into hyper-mode…"

The steel-eyed man rested his head above the boy's and stroked his sides. "…Are you scared?"

A pair of slender arms wrapped around Leon's neck, and the scarred man relaxed slightly. Despite the change in weight and heartbeat, it definitely felt like one of Riku's embraces.

The silver-haired teen raised his head and shifted back far enough to look at the scarred man's face. His eyes said more than any words could, but he answered the question in a soft, desolate tone. "I'm terrified…"

Leon's heart clenched in his chest as his hands clenched the boy's waist. Both stared at one another for a long moment, for once, steel-blue eyes were nearly as open as the expressive turquoise eyes that were searching them.

The sable-haired man hated that he could not alleviate the painful emotions in his young lover's eyes. "I never seem to be able to protect you…I wish I could, Sydän."

Riku shook his head sadly, "It's not protection that I need from you…it never was."

After another brief moment of staring into those eyes and feeling the helplessness that he loathed, the steel-eyed man pulled the boy closer again, this time capturing his mouth in a deep kiss that he used to say what he always seemed to fail to with words. It took less than the span of one of Riku's elevated heartbeats for the boy to respond.

When Zack peeked into Riku's bedroom some time later, to see if Leon wanted a break yet, he found the man and the boy pressed together on the small bed, with their arms wrapped around each other and Riku's face nestled against Leon's chest. Zack closed the door silently and headed back to his and Aerith's room.

He hoped that between all of them, they would be able to help the boy through this.


	265. Stampede

_Prompt: Stampede_

_Given by: Lady - Kitsune - Kawaii_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Implied Leon/Riku, Zack/Aerith, Cid/Shera, Tifa/Rude, Post-Sephiroth/OC _

_Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to Trigun or Loveless. Thank you for reading and enjoy._

* * *

Cid looked over when the door to the restoration headquarters opened after everyone else had supposedly gone home. Riku walked in, offered Cid a small nod, and headed straight to the filing cabinets where he dropped his messenger bag to the floor and started looking through the files. He was clearly searching for something specific.

"Hey Jailbait; what are you doing here so late? And why are you going through the files?" questioned the Gummi pilot.

The silver-haired teen did not pause as he replied, "Squall brought some work home with him-"

Cid snorted, "That figures…I knew he agreed to go home too damn easily. So how does that explain why _you're _here?"

The turquoise-eyed boy nodded absently at the former statement before responding to the latter as he shoved a file into his bag. "He forgot something, and he's trying to figure out why Lily Avenue keeps having power surges, thus I offered to get it for him so he doesn't have to stop working on that."

The blonde man nodded and lit a cigarette as the boy closed the filing cabinet. "Yeah, Tifa and Rude have been bitching about that. I could see why they'd want it fixed before the little guy comes along though…" He glanced back at the computer screen, which was relaying a user error message…again. "Hey, can you tell me what the hell I'm doing wrong here before you go?"

"Sure," Riku turned and approached the computer, leaning over Cid's arm to type in some commands before he noticed the odd look the elder was giving him. "What…?"

The Gummi mechanic exhaled heavily. "Look kid, I'm glad you're getting comfortable with yourself and all that crap, but wearing a shirt with a kitten on it is just asking for trouble…everyone will either assume you're a girl or….what?"

The silvered teen had glanced down at his black t-shirt, which did in fact have a black animated cat on it, to Cid, with a notable '_are you serious…?'_ expression on his face. "It's Kuroneko-Sama…"

Now the Gummi pilot was giving the boy his version of an _'are you kidding…?'_ expression. "It's what?"

"She's a character in Trigun…" replied the turquoise-eyed teenager.

"And what the hell is a Trigun?" asked the blonde man dryly.

"It's a manga series…" The two stared at each other blankly for a moment before the silver-haired boy tried again, "You know, with Vash the Stampede…the one with the red coat and gun sort of like Vincent's…?"

"Okay, I remember you explaining the comparison to Vincent after Yuffie said something," remarked Cid. He took another drag off his cigarette before asking, "What is a manga anyway?"

"They're graphic novels…" Riku sighed at the blank expression on the elder's face. "Here…" The boy walked over to his bag and bent down to dig something out of it, "Vincent just returned the first book to me…"

"Vincent decided to read these things?" questioned the Gummi pilot as he watched the boy. "And who do I tell Shera and Edea to thank for you finally wearing pants that fit?"

The turquoise-eyed boy stood and turned with a manga in his hand and a slight glare on his face. "After I explained it to Vincent he seemed interested so I loaned him the first couple books to see if he liked them…so far, he does."

Riku crossed the room and handed the book to Cid. "Axel charred my pants while we we're sparring the other day and I had to borrow some of his…aside from having to roll them up, I liked the fit. So I got a couple pairs in my size since I needed more pants anyway," the boy shrugged.

The blonde man shook his head, "I've never seen anyone that tall who was that scrawny before…at least Aerith and Tifa and finally putting some meat on him." He flipped through the book the boy had handed him. "It looks like a cross between a novel and a comic book."

The silver-haired teen nodded and returned to the computer. "Yeah, that's basically what it is… Do you want to borrow that one? It's a western comedy," he added before the man could ask.

"Sure, I'll check it out…you usually have damn good taste in literature for a brat." The Gummi mechanic set the book aside with a smirk and then suddenly glanced at the boy, "This isn't the one that got Zack all freaked out the other day, is it? Aerith was laughing too hard to make much sense when she told me and Leon about it."

The turquoise-eyed teen grinned as he began typing rapidly, "No. Axel was telling me that I should read the Loveless books, which he's reading right now. Zack came in late into the conversation, so he just heard Axel repeat that I should read Loveless…"

"Why did that make him freak out?" Cid frowned, "Zack doesn't panic over much."

"Apparently, Genesis was obsessed with some poetry book called Loveless right before everything went down," remarked Riku, still working on the program. "He says he knows it probably didn't have anything to do with what happened, but you know how he gets about that when it comes to me…and since he knows Axel and I like poetry, he just figured it was the same book. At first, he simply mentioned he'd rather I didn't read it, which I was fine with, but Axel thought he meant for a different reason, and that reason was pretty hypocritical, so they argued a bit…Aerith started cracking up before it could escalate too far and we realised there was something out of place about the whole thing."

"You know kid, I never would have guessed that Axel likes poetry…actually, I would've never pegged him to be nearly as smart as he is," commented the Gummi pilot offhandedly as he lit another cigarette.

The silver-haired teen looked mildly affronted, "Do you actually expect me to go around befriending morons?"

Cid offered the boy a more pronounced _'are you kidding?'_ look. "Isn't your best friend the one who tried to make the computer tell him what he wanted to know by hitting random keys?"

Riku smirked, "Yes he is, but he doesn't know anything about computers and he's also the one who figured out the DTD connection and the passwords for you guys during that same trip."

"He had help," stated the Gummi mechanic levelly. "And why would he think that Ansem's old computer would know where you were anyway?"

"I didn't say he was a genius, but he is certainly _not _a moron," amended the turquoise-eyed boy. "I'm the first to admit that his mood changes more often than his underwear and he can get distracted fairly easily, but he's still smart…and dedicated."

"I'm just fucking with you, Son; don't get your panties in a bunch over it," commented Cid as he noted Riku had handled his computer problem. "How the hell did you do that?"

"You were using the wrong command prompt and I bypassed the secondary program since it was so corrupted," stated the silvered adolescent easily. "Do you need anything else? Squall's going to be wondering what's taking me so long…"

The blonde man smirked, "He feeling a little territorial since your fiery friend showed up?"

"Oh yeah," Riku rolled his eyes. "I'm lucky he's good with restraint…I think he'd be marking his territory by now otherwise…"

The Gummi pilot snorted, "I'm sure he'll come up with another Leon way of marking you soon enough…"

The silvered adolescent blinked a couple times. "Another…?"

A blonde eyebrow quirked, "What do you call the Griever ring you wear around your neck? You're marked, kiddo."

The teenager's smirk bloomed into a soft smile, "I am, aren't I?"

Cid rolled his eyes, "Oh yeah…Leon really needs to worry about someone stealing you away."

"Maybe he needs a little more assurance…" commented the turquoise-eyed boy.

"I don't even want to know what you mean by that," grumbled Cid as he turned back to his computer. "Just tell him not to mark you anywhere easily visible, Jailbait."

"I doubt he needs reminding," commented the silver-haired teen as he headed for the door, picking up his bag on the way. "Enjoy the book."

Many odd looks were exchanged the following day when Cid was not only clearly enjoying the manga, but also refrained from commenting when Axel started teasing Riku about a love bite that he spotted on the teen's shoulder while they were sparring.


	266. Tower

_Prompt: Tower_

_Given by: Lapse - Raevn_

_Setting: Notre Dame; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Referenced Leon/Riku, Zack/Aerith, Post-Sephiroth/OC_

* * *

Way to the Dawn ran through the head of another Bolt Tower, reducing the Heartless to dark smoke and ash in the process. Riku threw up a Dark Shield as a Gargoyle Warrior suddenly attacked from the side and then he moved in the second it shattered to strike with a vertical slash, followed quickly by a thrust. He soon reduced that Heartless to nothing as well.

Riku threw a Dark Aura at a Neoshadow and glanced at the pillar of flames that was essentially sealing off the doorway. He generally did not mind giving the small enemies the option to flee the battle, but it seemed the man he was fighting beside took a different approach. Shifting his focus back to the battle before his fear of fire could effect him too much; the silvered teen quickly dispatched the remaining three Neoshadows.

No sooner had the last Neoshadow dissipated, than Riku had to duck as a flaming chakram flew through the space that had been occupied by his head just seconds before. It came back around to be deftly caught by Axel as the turquoise-eyed boy released his Keyblade since the last Heartless was no more.

"I never realised how annoying these things were until I got a heart," commented the redhead as he released his own weapons. He arched an eyebrow at the boy, who had subtly moved further from the wall of flames. "You're still afraid of fire, huh? Here-" The flames died as Axel raised a hand to them. "You know you don't have to worry when I'm controlling it, right? It's not like- Shit, the tapestry is on fire…"

Riku spun around to see that one of the churches tapestries was indeed on fire. He summoned Way to the Dawn again, cut the tassels that held the heavy cloth up, and kicked it over itself before stomping out the flames with Axel. After they stepped away from the charred and smoking fabric, turquoise eyes regarded the fiery man blankly. "Why did I agree to let you come with me again…?"

"You mean aside from the fact that you love me and we just kicked about fifty Heartless' arses in less than five minutes?" questioned the emerald-eyed man with a smirk. "I think it had something to do with Zack, Aerith, and Squall refusing to let you come here alone and your weak argument on it being against the laws of nature for them to come not holding up against me since my entire existence is against the laws of nature. Or-"

"Okay, okay…It was a rhetorical question anyway…" Riku rolled his eyes before glancing around the large, empty room. He pointed to a corridor to their left, "I think we need to head that way…and my argument was not weak…"

Axel scoffed as the two began walking in the direction the Master of Shadows had indicted. "You just didn't want to drag them away from everything or risk them getting hurt, so you pulled a logical excuse out of your arse. I swear, Squall is a bad influence on you-"

"You know he hates it when you call him that, right?" The silvered adolescent interjected without bothering to argue the rest…they both knew it was true anyway.

"Of course, he hates _me_…why do you think I call him it every time I get the chance?" replied the redhead as though that should have been obvious. He stopped at the end of the corridor. "Now where is this keyhole of yours supposed to be?"

"He doesn't hate you…he just isn't sure of your intentions yet," stated the turquoise-eyed boy as he looked slightly distant for a few seconds before his eyes cleared and he turned down another, smaller passage. "This way…"

"He's just jealous and overprotective," remarked the emerald-eyed man as he walked alongside the teen. "And why does the keyhole have to be _in _the bell tower…why couldn't it be _on _the bell tower? Then you could have just locked it from the square and been done with it already. Why didn't you and Sora just lock _all _the Keyholes to begin with anyway?"

"Why would he be jealous of you? He is sort of overprotective though," answered the silver-haired boy as they began climbing a long and winding staircase. "I have no idea why the keyholes are where they are…I don't think anyone does. Between the two of us, we locked the keyholes to all the worlds we travelled to, but it's not really that practical to visit every world…besides, not all of them were ever opened or even in danger…"

"Well there's my charisma, my hotness, that I get you so easily, there's plenty of reasons…and that man is not _sort of_ anything." Axel paused when they reached a trapdoor in the ceiling overhead at the end of the stairs. "Isn't there supposed to be some sort of creature defending this bell tower? I overheard some of the locals talking about a monster here while we were hiding in the shadows earlier."

"You are definitely not hotter than Squall, I doubt he cares about charisma, and he gets me too…and fine, I'm lucky he's too moral to shoot everyone who looks at me the wrong way, as I'm sure he'd like to; happy?" Riku climbed a small ladder to reach the trapdoor and then glanced at his friend. "He's not a monster; he's just the bell ringer or something…Esmeralda and Tifa said he's nice. His name's Quasimodo."

"You're blinded by love and hell yes…one of these days, someone is going to actually give him a reason to and I don't want to be there to clean the mess when that guy finally snaps." The redhead closely followed the silvered teen up the ladder and into what looked like the prop department of an old-fashioned theatre. "It's no wonder those two became friends; together, they could take out an entire army and still look gorgeous afterwards. So where is this Quasi guy?"

"Quasimodo…?"

Catching the questioning tone the boy used and the fact that his turquoise eyes flickered behind Axel, the redhead turned to glance behind him. He quickly spun around when he saw a large, malformed man standing in the shadows behind him. Then, he glanced at Riku, "How does a guy that big sneak up on someone?"

"You're loud; he's quiet," commented the silver-haired teen.

"What are you doing here?" demanded the hunchback.

The emerald-eyed man stepped slightly in front of his friend, who in turn rolled his eyes and gently pushed him aside as he addressed Quasimodo. "You've seen the Heartless, right? They'll keep bothering this world unless I do something about it…and I have to do it here."

The hunchback's eyes took in the adolescent's appearance. "You're the boy Esmeralda spoke of. If you are her friend, than I am yours. Do whatever you must do, but do it quickly. Frollo will be arriving soon, and he won't like anyone else being here…especially gypsies."

The two young males blinked at the statement, then looked at each other's faces before taking in the other's appearance and then their own. Finally, they shrugged at one another and returned their attention to Quasimodo. Axel addressed the other man easily, "Okay…so you won't tell this Frollo guy or anyone else that you've seen us…or anything that we do here, right?"

"Of course not," replied the hunchback in earnest. "Well, except for Esmeralda, but she's already seen you…and Victor, Hugo, and Laverne of course," The bell ringer indicated a few stone gargoyles.

"Okay…sure," the redhead drawled out. "That's fine, right Ku?"

"Yeah, as long as you trust them not to spread it around," commented the silvered teen absently as he wandered into the centre of the room. Turquoise eyes were taking in the many large bells that hung overhead.

"Oh here, let me introduce you," commented Quasimodo. Axel was clearly about to ask who he intended to introduce them to when the hunchback expertly climbed up to the bells and began stating their names as he indicated each one.

The redhead glanced at the boy he had joined in the centre of the room with a slight smirk. "Well, he's totally cracked…I still like him though."

The turquoise-eyed boy nodded with a slight smirk of his own, which quickly fell as Way to the Dawn appeared in his hand once more. Axel summoned his chakrams within a second of spotting the Keyblade. "More Heartless...?"

Riku shook his head before looking at something above them, "I think we found the keyhole…"

A slight breeze stirred up as the Keybearer raised his blade and a patch of light in the shape of a keyhole appeared over the main bell. Then a soft beam of light shot from the Keyblade and a locking sound could be heard as it dissipated into the keyhole before both lights faded and the room looked exactly as it had before.

"So is that it?" questioned Axel.

"Mm-hmm," replied Riku as Way to the Dawn vanished.

"What was that?" asked Quasimodo as he joined them and gazed at the bell that had shown the keyhole a moment before.

"Something that no one must ever be able to use," stated the silver-haired teen softly.

The bell ringer nodded, "Then I'll make sure no one besides you two ever finds it."

"Thank you." Riku smiled slightly at the hunchback. He then turned his gaze to one of the windows, "And if you ever hear tale of a witch named Maleficent around here, be careful…she's evil. She'll try to trick you into helping her."

Again, the brown-haired man nodded, seeming to understand whatever the boy had left unspoken about the sorceress. "I will be careful, thank you." A sound somewhere below them caught their attention. "You better go…can you leave this way?" The man indicated the side of the tall and perilous building.

"No problem," commented Axel as he and Riku looked down at the exit that most people would have considered certain death.

"Maybe you'll be able to come again one day," stated Quasimodo as he startled Riku by unnecessarily helping him over the window's edge.

The redhead smirked at this as he climbed out himself. "Oh, I'm sure we will."

The silvered teen nodded his agreement before looking down at the next roof level and leaping down easily. Axel followed and the two friends were soon disappearing into the shadows once again.

"…And I am not blinded by love."

"Keep telling yourself that, kiddo…"


	267. Blade

_Prompt: Blade_

_Given by: Nyah-Chan_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII, Post-Fish Stick (which follows both the Traitor and Feathers arcs)_

_Pairings: Leon/Riku, Zack/Aerith, Sora/Penelo, Cloud/Reno, Post-Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi), Post-Vincent/Lucrecia_

* * *

Kairi and Aerith sat on a couple of boulders by the ruins of the castle entrance, watching Zack, Sora, Cloud, Vincent, Leon, Riku, and Reno spar. Sometimes they broke into teams, sometimes the others took turns taking Riku on one-on-one (or two-to-one), and at times they appeared to be having a large free-for-all. Aerith used the opportunity to show Kairi some support spells, such as Aero, Cure, and Magnet.

After another round was considered over, Reno and Leon decided to sit out the next round; Aerith smiled as the two men joined them at the sidelines, and Kairi cheered after she cast a successful Aero spell around Sora.

"Good, the kid's gonna need all the help he can get against those freaks," commented the Turk as he leaned against the remains of a wall.

The green-eyed woman nodded her agreement, "It definitely isn't a fair fight for the rest of you."

"I think Reno has it the worst," added Kairi without removing her gaze from her sparring friends.

"Why is that?" questioned Leon, who was also leaning against the rubble and watching the others. His gaze was notably fixed on Riku.

Kairi frowned as she failed in an attempt to cast Haste on Sora. "Well, it looks like he's got the skill and experience that the rest of you have, but not only is he just a normal human, but his weapon really doesn't seem evenly matched to the rest of yours."

"That's true," noted Aerith before giving her husband a small cheer as he disarmed Cloud.

"Well fighting Vincent and Cloud isn't anything new," stated Reno. "Zack and Sora are a lot like sparring Cloud, but with a little more power...actually, I think it's just more confidence and energy. Stone Cold here is different, but at least he's just human too. Silver, I never intend to piss off again, yo…he's like fighting a balanced version of Sephiroth."

In their makeshift ring, Riku summoned a Dark Shield to protect himself and Sora from a round Vincent shot at them before retaliating with a Dark Aura while Sora and Cloud teamed up on Zack. The two spiky-haired males tried attacking from both the front and rear, but the former FIRST CLASS sidestepped at the last minute and caught both of their blades with his buster sword.

Kairi suddenly bit her lip as she cast Cure on the spiky-haired man after he took a solid blow. "Uh, Leon…you and Vincent aren't using real bullets for this, are you?"

His steel blue eyes were still following his young lover's movements as he blocked a few more rounds from Cerberus. "No, we're using rubber bullets…we don't want to seriously injure each other."

Vincent leaped from one pile of rubble to another, firing off another round at the silvered teen as he did so. Instead of blocking it as usual, Riku dodged the bullets and threw his Dark Shield up in front of the crimson-eyed man. After Vincent collided with the shield and fell, Riku cast Holy on him. The raven-haired man accepted defeat and then the boy cast his Health Potion Spell on him.

Aerith cast Haste on Zack as he knocked Sora aside with a snap-kick before catching Cloud off guard with a rising slash. "They still get plenty of injuries, although Riku and Vincent are good with remembering to heal the others…and Zack's been good about keeping plenty of health potions on hand since he took in Riku."

Kairi snorted, "With Sora and Riku, you really want to keep a first aid kit or some health potions nearby…they're always finding ways to get hurt. Fortunately, Penelo picks up spells quickly. Sora taught her Cure after hey started dating…she's used it on him at least a dozen times already."

"I wasn't actually hurt that bad on any of those occasions," commented Sora as he joined the others. "If I had been, I would have cast Curaga on myself. Penelo just didn't see any point in waiting for it to heal the normal way when we don't have to save our magical energy for anything else…and I think she wanted to practice in case she really needs it."

Reno smirked as Cloud joined them as well. He handed the azure-eyed man health potion as he glanced at Sora. "Considering who she's dating, that's probably a good idea, yo."

The cerulean-eyed teen glared at the Turk, "Hey! It's not like I go looking for trouble…well, actually…yeah, I sort of do." The boy looked slightly thoughtful and Kairi nodded with a grin.

"In any case, it is never pointless to learn healing spells," commented Vincent as he too joined the group at the boulders.

"When did Riku learn how to cast Holy anyway?" asked Cloud after he downed the potion and sat with his back against Reno's legs.

"We aren't the only ones he's been sparring against," stated Leon in a tone that hinted at protectiveness…or possessiveness. This finally pulled Kairi's attention away from the spar fully. The scarred man did not seem to notice. "He and his new friend are a little too outgoing when it comes to trying new spells. Riku still can't get the hang of the standard elemental magics, but non-elemental spells seems to come easily to him."

"I thought there only was elemental magic," stated the auburn-haired teen.

Aerith shook her head. "Most of what we've been casting is non-elemental, like support, life, and time magics. I'm actually not surprised that Riku can cast Holy already. He definitely inherited his mother's talent for life magic."

"Wait…who's his new friend?" questioned Sora expectantly. "And why don't Kairi and I know about this yet?"

Reno smirked. "You'll meet him soon enough, yo. He and Silver have a surprise in store for you."

"Riku wanted to catch you two up on everything else and give you the day to process it all before he dropped another surprise on you," added the Gunblade wielder.

"That's actually a pretty good idea," stated Kairi. She rolled her eyes at her best friend's somewhat betrayed expression. "Honestly, Sora…it's not like he's the first to hear all of our news anymore. We live on different worlds. Besides, he did just inform us that he's half angel and that his biological father is one of the world's greatest enemies. I can see why he'd want to take a break in dropping bombs so we could recover in between."

The cerulean-eyed teen thought this over for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, you're right. Besides, it's not as if he plans to keep it from us. If he doesn't tell us by tomorrow morning, we can just tell him we're ready for the rest."

The auburn-haired girl sighed but then smiled at her friend. She shook her head fondly, "Never change Sora."

Before the spiky-haired boy could respond, Zack approached the others with a grin. "So is it just gonna be me and Riku for the next round?"

Riku smiled suddenly when the others nodded, as though he just had a great idea. "Hey, we should both use a Keyblade…I bet you'll do great with it."

"Yeah, that's an awesome idea," added Sora as he smiled brightly.

The violet-eyed man arched an eyebrow, and most of the other adults looked confused as well. "I think you two are forgetting that I'm not a chosen wielder."

"Neither is Kairi, but Riku was able to loan her a Keyblade for a little while when they saved my ass in the Castle That Never Was," stated the spiky-haired teen. Again, the auburn-haired girl nodded beside him with a smile.

"How is that possible?" questioned Leon.

"I think if the person's heart is light enough and a chosen wielder concentrates on letting them use it, then they can," replied Riku. "…For a little while anyway." Sora and Kairi immediately offered sounds of agreement.

"When you took the Keyblade from me in Traverse Town, I didn't know anything about it and I didn't hand it to you," added the cerulean-eyed teen as he turned his attention to Leon. "When I handed it to Jack Sparrow, I had no intention of letting him use it…so I've never actually tested it, but that sounds right and I'm willing to take Riku's word for it anyway."

Zack was grinning broadly now, "And you kids think I could do it?"

In response, both boys chucked. Riku nodded and smiled and Sora decided to elaborate. "If your heart held any more light, your chest would glow the way your hand does when you cup it over a flashlight."

"Okay, then let's try it," stated the violet-eyed man as he turned to his godson. "If I can't hold onto it, then I'll just spar with my usual blade."

"Sounds good to me;" Riku summoned Way to the Dawn in his right hand and True Heart in his left. He then turned the former to offer the hilt to Zack.

The ex-SOLDIER took the offered blade and looked it over as Riku smirked slightly. After a moment, the others smiled when it became clear that the Keyblade was not going to return to its rightful owner.

Leon frowned when he noticed that Riku's smirk had faded and the boy looked pensive. "Riku…what is it?"

"It feels different…than when I loaned it to Kairi," murmured the turquoise-eyed boy. "It's easier somehow…"

"Maybe your recent changes have effected it…you don't have to concentrate as much in battle for anything else," suggested Zack as he placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Yeah…maybe that's it," commented Riku before he smiled at his godfather again. "Now let's see how well you use it…it's not quite the same as using a regular sword."

Vincent and Leon shared a brief and unreadable glance as the two began sparring. Then the former settled his attention mainly on Zack while the latter's was on his young lover. At first, it appeared that Zack was getting used to the new blade and Riku was allowing him time to do so. Then, the duel quickly gained more speed and power as the two began to hold back less and less. After a while, those watching whom did not have advanced sight from Mako experiments could scarcely keep up with the match.

"Wow," Kairi turned to Sora, having given up on following the duellists' movements. "I almost feel bad for whoever tries anything in this world after this…almost."

The spiky-haired teen nodded as he watched his best friend and said boy's godfather spar. "Riku's gonna ask the king about this…there's no way he's putting much focus into the Keyblade Zack's using."

"Didn't one of the old legends mention four paths?" questioned Leon thoughtfully.

"You mean it's possible that there's a fourth wielder?" asked Cloud. "Well, it would make sense…since Zack was lost during everything that happened before and the fourth never made themselves known."

"There are too many conflicting legends to know all of the finer details," stated Vincent. "I agree that Mickey would be the most likely to know if there is even the possibility of a fourth chosen wielder."

"Uh, guys…?" Sora glanced at the others. "Can't we just ask Zack to try summoning a Keyblade to see if he's a wielder?"

"I thought the rest of you had some sort of awakening when the worlds were endangered," commented Reno. "If that's the case, then you might have to wait, yo."

"In either case, Zack looks pretty damn good out there," stated Kairi, to which Aerith nodded her agreement. The auburn-haired girl glanced at Vincent and then tilted her head slightly as she watched Riku and Zack again. "If you guys ever decide to get a family photo taken, Riku better send me and Selphie a copy."

Sora rolled his eyes, "Yeah, because every teenage guy just loves the idea of his friends ogling a photo of him, his godfather, and his grandfather…"


	268. Strawberries

_Prompt: Strawberries_

_Given by: Nyah -Chan_

_Setting: Radiant Garden, Destiny Islands, Disney Castle; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Leon/Riku, Sora/Penelo, Mickey/Minnie_

* * *

On Radiant Garden, Riku suddenly awoke in the middle of the night, with a strange feeling screaming in the back of his mind. He focused on his surroundings for a moment, trying to discern if anything was out of place. The feeling of a strong arm wrapped around him and a firm body pressed against his back were the first things he noticed, followed by Squall's gentle breathing and the soft ticking of the bedroom clock, finally the scent of moonflowers and strawberries wafting in through the open window from the garden outside enveloped him. It did not take more than a few seconds to realise that the problem was not there with him.

The silver-haired teen silently and carefully slipped out from beneath his boyfriend's arm and the bed sheets before padding to the window across the room. The light of the full moon washed over the quiet town, and while the feeling was growing stronger, the boy could sense no danger to its inhabitants.

Turquoise eyes slowly rose to the stars, as Riku understood what he was feeling. He reluctantly lowered one of the many walls he had put up around his heart, each guarding against a different threat, and immediately, Way to the Dawn appeared in his hand.

An unnatural breeze stirred the quiet room before he raised the Keyblade and a beam of light shot out, disappearing into the star filled sky and showing him the way to go.

The silvered teen glanced down as he allowed his weapon to vanish. He had known this day would come eventually, but he had hoped it would be later…and later, and later. He finally had what he had been looking for, finally felt that he belonged, and now it was time to get lost all over again.

With a deep sigh, he pushed those thoughts from his mind…at least he was not alone this time. They had promised each other that.

The bed creaked behind him and Riku turned to see Squall approaching with a concerned expression. The steel-eyed man stroked the teen's side gently and brushed his bangs aside with his other hand, clearly waiting for an explanation to the emotions he could no doubt see in his young lover's eyes…

On Destiny Islands, Sora was lazing around on the beach as usual, allowing the warm sun to soak into his tanned skin as he waited for Penelo to arrive and pester him about getting their homework done before their date. He sat up and looked around as a restless feeling crept over him. Cerulean eyes took in his immediate surroundings; the play islands were deserted save for him, as Kairi and Selphie were rushing to complete an assignment they had left until the last moment and Wakka, Tidus, and Penelo were at Blitzball practice. Some seagulls cawed in the distance and the waves crashed against the shore as usual.

That last observation struck a chord in the spiky-haired teen's consciousness, although he was not sure why...the waves were the same as always. He stepped forward until he was ankle deep in the warm water. The day was clear and he could make out the town on the larger island across the bay.

The few ant-like specks that he knew were people on the shore of the main island, as well as the boats on the harbour, continued moving around as though they did not have a concern in the world, and Sora quickly decided that his islands were happy and safe as usual.

Then the cerulean-eyed boy recalled why the sound of the waves had struck him earlier…because his best friend had always loved the sound. While it was common for Sora to think of Riku periodically, it was unusual for such thoughts to come unexpectedly, and that restless feeling was growing stronger as he turned his thoughts to his far-off friend.

Having an idea as to what this might mean, Sora took a deep breath and cleared his mind. No sooner had his thoughts stilled than the Kingdom Key appeared in his hand. As a conflicting one joined the sea breeze, the spiky-haired teen aimed his Keyblade skyward and a beam of light erupted from the tip before being swallowed by the clear blue sky.

Sora smiled brightly as the Keyblade vanished. He had known that they would be called on another journey after receiving the king's letter upon their return home, and he could not wait to start it. It had been too long since he had travelled the worlds and seen all of his distant friends…and this time he, Riku, and the king would stick together.

A voice calling his name brought Sora's attention back to the beach, where Penelo was walking towards him with a curious expression on her face. He smiled reassuringly as he held out a hand to grasp hers. The blonde girl smiled back as she waited patiently, obviously knowing that her boyfriend was up to something…

At Disney Castle, Mickey sat at his desk looking over a proposal for more funds to go into the reconstruction of Tomorrow land. Pluto was lying on his bed nearby, with a brand new bone that arrived with an updated photo of the pup Riku had kept from Pluto and Daphne's litter. The king smiled as he signed the document and moved to grab the next form he needed to read and sign. He stopped abruptly when he felt the pull of the Keyblade.

The anthropomorphic mouse stood and walked out onto the balcony that overlooked the courtyard. He could hear Daisy laughing somewhere below as Donald cursed loudly and Huey, Dewy, and Louie dashed out of view on their skateboards.

It was nice to be home and the king would have liked to stay longer before he had to go again, but the worlds were calling and he had other duties to fulfil than just those in his kingdom. With a contended smile, Mickey summoned his Keyblade and watched as it showed him the path that he and the other Keybearers would soon have to follow.

He allowed his weapon to disappear just as swiftly, and thought about the two boys that he would be embarking on this quest with. A flash of light could barely be seen in the distant sky of the early evening, and Mickey knew that Riku had answered the call as well. A moment passed before another flash joined it, as Sora no doubt realised what was happening. The king smiled, knowing that the upcoming journey was bound to be interesting with those two together…the worlds were not going to know what hit them.

The king imagined that Sora was thrilled, eyes bright at the prospect of another adventure that would be even more exciting than his previous ones since his best friend would be by his side in body as well as spirit this time. While Riku was most likely resolved but sad about the fact that he had to leave his home to live out another nightmare, taking comfort in the fact that his friends would be by his side this time and that he was sure about his path for once.

Mickey heaved a sigh, thinking that at least this time they were ready. Each knew their place as well as what they were up against. Together, he was sure they would succeed and return home at the journey's end.

The sound of ruffling taffeta caused Mickey to turn. Minnie was standing in the doorway with an accepting expression, no doubt knowing what was to come, but giving her husband the time he needed before letting her know the details. The king smiled at her lovingly…

**...**"**I'm sorry, but I have to go…"**


	269. Chocolate

_Prompt: Chocolate_

_Given by: Nyah-Chan_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Tifa/Rude, Leon/Riku, Zack/Aerith, Cid/Shera; Implied Post-Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi)_

_Author's note: This one proved to be rather difficult, mainly because the prompt kept making me think of Mello and apparently my inner Death Note fangirl can kick my inner Kingdom Hearts fangirl's arse. Thanks to BlackIceNinja for inadvertently giving me this idea. I hope this is enjoyable and thank you for reading._

* * *

Yuffie skipped into the reconstruction committee headquarters to find Tifa and Aerith sitting at a table with a tray of brownies and a page from a notebook laid out before the pregnant woman. "What are you guys up to?"

"Rude and I have decided that it's past time we chose a name for this little guy," Tifa affectionately rubbed her bulging stomach as she reached for another treat. "So I'm going through the list of suggestions. Aerith volunteered to help when she dropped off the brownies Riku made me."

"Hey, how come you get brownies?" questioned the hyperactive ninja.

"Because I'm pregnant, craving them, and can still kick most of these guys' asses," commented the mahogany-eyed woman cheerfully as she bit into her brownie. Yuffie thought this over for a few seconds before smiling and nodding.

"So far, Reno thinks you should name him Cloud Reno, since he and Cloud are the godparents," commented Aerith as she held a notebook and began jotting something down. "I should probably warn you that Zack will most likely support this, since Sephiroth and Hilargi made Riku's middle name Zackary, much to Zack's delight."

Tifa rolled her eyes, "That doesn't matter…Cloud doesn't want the baby named after him for some reason."

The green-eyed woman repeated her friend's action as she wrote something else down. "Alright, aside form that, Quistis suggested Nathaniel, Axel suggested Dante, Riku suggested Akane, Zack suggested Mail -it's a good thing we're never having kids of our own because I'd never let him name them-, and Riku said that Sora suggested Nero when they talked the other night."

"Zell suggested Rai and Denzel suggested Sage this morning," added the umber-haired woman.

Yuffie plopped onto the chair across from her friends. "What about Vincent?"

"He hasn't made any suggestions," commented Tifa around a mouthful of brownie.

"No, I was suggesting the name Vincent," amended the petite woman.

Both of the other women blinked and then glanced at each other. Aerith raised an eyebrow and Tifa shrugged. "I'll add it."

Cid walked in just then, grumbling to himself about something. He stopped to look at the three women curiously before sitting at his computer. "What are you three doing here?"

"Making a list of baby names for Tifa and Rude to go over later," replied Aerith as she wrote something else down in the notebook.

"Well just don't name him Cid," muttered the Gummi mechanic. "There's too many damn Cid's around here anyway."

"Duly noted," murmured Tifa as she made a note on her list.

"Hey, Aerith," Cid suddenly turned to look at the named woman. "What the hell is going on with Zack and Leon? I've never seen Zack this dazed and Leon's making his usual pissy attitude look giddy."

"Oh, that's why I was looking for you earlier," commented Yuffie. "They keep avoiding each other and Riku's looking really uncomfortable."

Tifa turned to look at her friend as well, "Did they have a fight?"

"No," the green-eyed woman sighed and then smiled reassuringly at the others. "Zack walked into Leon's house unannounced yesterday evening to ask about something for today's project and found Leon and Riku in a compromising position. I think they just aren't sure how to react to that."

None of the others said anything. Cid was staring blankly, Yuffie's mouth was hanging open, and Tifa was smirking. Aerith rolled her eyes. "Look, we knew that Leon and Riku decided to be a bit more…comfortable with their relationship, but Zack didn't realise that they would be growing more intimate in the physical sense too."

"So…what are they gonna do?" asked Yuffie.

"Oh, I'm sure they'll avoid each other for as long as they can, then they'll realise the effect that they're having on Riku, and decide to try to talk to each other," commented Aerith lightly. "As awkward at that will probably be, I have every confidence that they'll work it out."

"As long as Zack doesn't get fed up with all of Leon's 'whatever' responses and decide to just hit him," stated Tifa, who had returned to her list and her brownies. "Not that I could really blame him…that does get frustrating, although Riku seems to be unintentionally breaking him of that."

Aerith nodded and then looked somewhat thoughtful. "Maybe I shouldn't stray too far when they finally decide to talk it out."

"Well, Riku won't let them fight," stated Yuffie. "He's gonna be there for the talk, right?"

Tifa and Aerith glanced at one another. "Is that normal for teens in his position?" questioned the pregnant woman.

"No, but I don't think there is such a thing as normal for a teen in his position," replied the green-eyed woman calmly. "And since Zack and Leon are old friends as well as Leon being Riku's boyfriend and Zack being his godfather, it's not as though any of the usual rules apply."

"Then that actually might be the best way to get all of this sorted out," commented the mahogany-eyed woman. "Good thinking, Yuffie."

The petite woman shrugged as Aerith nodded her agreement and then all three women grabbed another brownie.

"Hey, these are good," commented the hyperactive ninja. "Riku should make some more for when the guys have that talk…it'll put them in a better mood."

Tifa nodded and rubbed her stomach, "They certainly have put this little guy in a more pleasant state. He's definitely going to be a martial artist like is folks…"

A snort from across the room caught their attention, and all three turned to Cid, who was working on his computer.

He glanced in their direction and then smirked. "A few brownies and a few minutes and you three have reached a point that will take those idiots a couple days and a lot of beating themselves, and possibly each other, up to get to. I'll be damned if it makes any sense…"

"Never underestimate the value of communication," stated Aerith.

"Or chocolate," added Yuffie.

Tifa nodded, "That helps too."

The Gummi mechanic shook his head and returned to his work, but after a brief moment he said, "Remind me to have Jailbait bake me some of those the next time I have to tell Shera I'm taking off for a few days to help one of your asses."

Tifa and Aerith chuckled, and then the mahogany-eyed woman stopped when she noticed Yuffie looking thoughtful. "What is it?"

The petite ninja looked at her curiously, "I just realised I don't know what Rude's surname is."

"Turks don't have surnames," Tifa replied with a shrug. "So the baby's surname is going to be Lockhart."

"Oh…then I still recommend Vincent." After another brief moment, Yuffie looked curious again, "Does that mean that Rude's gonna take your surname when you guys get married?"

Aerith stifled a laugh as Tifa merely stared at the other woman. Then, the martial artist turned to the mage, "How soon can Riku bake up another batch of brownies?"

Cid shook his head as all three women started laughing and wondered why each of the others seemed to have these personal discussions around him.

"Here;" The Gummi mechanic turned to see Yuffie behind him, offering a brownie. He took the offered dessert and ignored the conversation that was starting behind him as he bit into it…then he paused and looked at the treat.

"Yuffie might be onto something here…"


	270. Alpha

_Prompt: Alpha_

_Given by: Mister E_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII, Post-Feathers & Backlash_

_Pairings: Leon/Riku, Zack/Aerith, Cloud/Reno, Cid/Shera; Post-Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi), Post-Vincent/Lucrecia_

* * *

Vincent and Cid stopped talking about the program Riku built and Yuffie's refusal to stop referring to Vincent as Riku's grandfather, when the boy under discussion entered the room. The turquoise-eyed teen's pace, combined with his face being more downcast than usual, suggested that he was frustrated or upset.

The silvered teen approached Leon, Zack, and Reno across the room without looking up. Once he was standing beside Leon, he tilted his head enough to see Reno through his bangs. "Can you do anything about your boyfriend?"

The Turk smirked, "I really don't need any encouragement in that department, Silver, but sure."

Leon stroked the boy's back as they both rolled their eyes. Zack smiled at his godson sympathetically; "What did Cloud do now?"

"He's still being a bitch," commented the turquoise-eyed boy. "Or more to the point, he's acting like I'm his."

Both Zack and Leon stopped any motions they were making and blinked a couple of times at the statement. Reno continued smirking. "It's probably just some weird sexual tension, yo. There's only one thing to be done about it..."

"If this is going where I think it is, then stop speaking," commented Leon flatly as he snaked an arm around Riku's waist.

"Hey, I was going to include you too," replied the redhead, earning him a fierce glare from the steel-eyed man.

Zack hit Reno on the back of the head before returning his attention to Riku. "That isn't it anyway. It's strange though…I thought Cloud was past all his reservations about you."

The silver-haired boy shrugged, looking somewhat sad. "I thought so too…"

Leon tugged the teen closer with a hand over his hip and tucked some hair behind the boy's ear with his free hand; "If he got past everything else, than he'll get past whatever is going on now. I'll talk to him tomorrow, okay?"

"He and I have talked about Silver, and he likes the kid, so that isn't it either." Reno rolled his eyes; "Just have Fair tell him to knock it off, yo. Cloud always listens to him for some reason…I think it's ingrained in him from their SOLDIER days or something."

"Or he just has some survival instincts intact," added Cid from across the room. "Unlike you, Zack can kick Spiky's ass."

The Turk shrugged easily; "So what? Unless they're part of some brilliant scientist's pet project, Cloud can kick anyone's ass, yo."

The elder blonde man nodded, "Isn't that the damned truth…"

Riku noticed the pensive expression on Vincent's face as he looked across the room. "Vincent…?"

Crimson eyes lowered to meet turquoise. "Are you familiar with the ranking system of angels?"

Riku shook his head, as did each of the others in the room. Vincent kept his attention fixed on the silver-haired teen. "They have a hierarchy system similar to those of animal packs. Due to the Jenova cells in you and the others, as well as the S cells in Cloud and Zack, you all have this system incorporated into your very being."

The raven-haired man paused a moment while Riku clearly took in this information. He waited until turquoise eyes rose to meet his again before continuing his explanation. "Among those of you here, Zack has been accepted as the Alpha, which is why both you and Cloud have a tendency to obey him without question."

Zack smiled, "So I'm the alpha male around here? I always figured that was Leon."

"I was referring to You, Cloud, and Riku only," amended Vincent. "Among you three, yes, you are the alpha. Were Sephiroth or Genesis to return, I doubt that would continue to be the case…and I expect that Riku will surpass you eventually."

Zack nodded and then smiled at his godson. "Ah, my little cub is growing up…" Riku chuckled and Leon smirked and shook his head.

"What does all of this have to do with the way Cloud's been treating Silver, yo?" questioned Reno as he turned his attention to Vincent.

"Riku, as the youngest and the smallest, has always been the lowest in the ranks," The crimson-eyed man glanced at Reno before looking at Riku again. "Recently you have reached a point of maturity that has made you a threat to Cloud's rank. In response, he is trying to establish dominance over you before you become too powerful."

Cid snorted, "This is like some fucked up animal documentary…"

Leon glanced at his young lover before looking at Vincent. "I'm assuming this is all subconscious…is that right?"

"One would think," comment the crimson-eyed man.

The former SeeD nodded, "Then it will probably help if we explain to him what is happening."

Zack nodded his agreement. "Yeah, it sounds like he'll still feel it, but at least he'll understand it and be able to control himself. If all else fails, then Reno's suggestion should work…not _that _one." The ex-SOLDIER added the last part pointedly when the Turk wore a perverse grin.

Reno held up his hands, "Hey, down boy. You aren't _my _alpha, yo."

Riku rolled his eyes as Reno subconsciously leaned back from a glare Zack shot at him. Then the teen turned back to Vincent as he leaned against Leon slightly. "So if I just follow his orders for a while, would that get him to stop feeling like he has to dominate me? It's really getting annoying…"

Vincent nodded, "Each of your suggestions would work in theory. I would start with Leon's."

Riku nodded, "And we're never trying Reno's first one. The second will be the next attempt if explaining it all doesn't work." The turquoise-eyed teen looked from Leon to Zack. "So which of you wants to tell him?"

"As if I'm going to pass up the chance to torment Cloud about being his alpha," commented Zack with a grin. He stroked Riku's hair and then turned to the door. "Let Aerith know I might be home a little late."

Riku nodded and waved before turning to nuzzle Leon's neck. "So how much longer are you going to be?"

The scarred man began to lead the boy to the door with the hand that was still resting over his hip. "Actually, I was thinking about calling it a day."

"_Actually_, he was thinking that he needed to establish his own dominance over you after that discussion," stated Reno as the couple headed toward the door. Riku smirked but Leon turned to offer a slight glare to the redhead. "Don't try to deny it, yo. We all know you love being the alpha male."

With a half shrug, the former SeeD directed Riku through the door and nodded to Cid and Vincent on his way out.

The Gummi mechanic turned to the crimson-eyed man. "I told you…you stay in this corner for a little while and these morons will talk about anything with you right here in the damn room. I know more about all of these bastards' personal lives than anyone needs to…"

Reno turned and looked at the blonde man with a thoughtful expression. "You probably have more dirt on everyone than even I do, yo. Would you be interested in helping me and Cloud get back at Yuffie and Sora?"

The Gummi pilot lit a cigarette as Vincent shook his head and left the room. "What did you have in mind?"

The redhead smirked, "That depends on if you have anything on them better than I do…"


	271. Omega

_Prompt: Omega_

_Given by: Mister E_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII (and basically everything else I have ever written)_

_Pairings: Vaguely implied Leon/Riku; Post-Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi)_

_Author's Note: Axel and Mickey do not like to stop talking…My apologies. Thank you for reading and enjoy._

* * *

Mickey, along with Vincent and Zack, decided that it was best if they removed any books or documents on Jenova, ShinRa, or Sephiroth from the castle library before opening it up to the public. Vincent and Zack agreed to sort through the first floor, while Riku and Mickey took the second. The turquoise-eyed teen and the demure king spoke lightly as they sorted through the numerous texts.

The silver-haired boy looked up suddenly when he caught a familiar scent that was warm and musky, and reminded him of a campfire on a beach. "Axel, were over here," he called quietly as he waved a hand through the tall shelf before him.

The redhead rounded the corner soon after, causing the king to smile and shake his head. Mickey was very pleased that Riku had grown more comfortable with his unique abilities, and even more so by the fact that the teen was making more close friends.

"Oh good, I was hoping you two would be together," stated the emerald-eyed man as he kneeled by the two friends. "What do you know about this?"

Mickey took a formal-looking report from the redhead and flipped through the pages with Riku glancing at them as well. The turquoise-eyed boy looked at Axel again. "It looks like one of Ansem's old reports from when he found out about Hojo's projects…these are what he and my mother based a lot of their theories on me upon."

"I figured that, but what I want to know about is the name signed at the end of this report," commented Axel. "Actually, most of them are signed by the same person."

Riku frowned and turned to look at the name his friend was speaking of; "Ienzo…? Who is that?"

"He was the youngest and brightest apprentice of Ansem the Wise," replied Mickey. The anthropomorphic mouse grinned at Axel. "You never actually met him, but you knew his Nobody, right?"

"Zexion," stated the redhead with a nod. "So that's how he and Sephiroth knew each other. I had wondered about that, but the only person who knew anything about them was Lexaeus, and all he would ever say is that they were friends."

"Ienzo was friends with my father?" questioned Riku, looking between his two friends. "And so was Zexion? How did that happen?"

"Well, before I was even a part of the Organization, the six highest ranking members were already trying to discover ways to obtain hearts and add to their numbers," explained Axel. "Xemnas thought that turning a few powerful individuals into Heartless would not only release some powerful hearts into Kingdom Hearts for when the Keybearers entered the picture later on, but would also give them some more intelligent and powerful Nobodies to form the Organization with."

"Xehanort had known about The Great Sephiroth, so Xemnas knew about him too. He sent Zexion to find him and turn him into a Heartless." The redhead smirked; "When me and Demyx heard about this later on, we thought that Xemnas was either trying to off Zexion in case he became a threat to his power or just figured that none of them could take Sephiroth physically, but Zexion could mind fuck him and defeat him that way. In any case, Zexion came back a couple days later suggesting that they forget about Sephiroth. His explanation was that Sephiroth would make a too powerful Nobody that would take over the Organisation. The problem that Zexy saw in this was that Sephiroth barely cared about having a heart as a human. He concluded that he wouldn't care at all as a Nobody and then the Organisation would be screwed."

"So he actually approached Sephiroth for this…and neither of them killed the other?" Riku arched an eyebrow; "What am I missing here?"

"Even Xemnas never knew exactly what happened," explained the emerald-eyed man with a shrug. "But Zexion would start disappearing for short periods of time afterwards, and Lexaeus reported that he was seeing Sephiroth. He said they were just pleased to find someone at 'their level' to talk to and weren't plotting a revolt or anything like that, so Xemnas didn't care. He wasn't about to get rid of someone as useful and loyal as Zexion without a solid reason…at that point anyway. Obviously things changed later on…"

"Wait," Riku turned to Mickey. "If Xemnas remembered my father because Xehanort had heard of him, and Ienzo had been friends with him, than did he and Zexion get along because they had already been friends?"

"Well, they understood each other because of that," stated Mickey. "You and Roxas had some level of familiarity because of your friendship with Sora, but you realised that he was different from Sora right away. Sephiroth and Ienzo weren't as close, but it was probably much the same for them."

"How did Sephiroth and Ienzo become friends anyway?" asked Axel as he got into a more comfortable sitting position on the floor by Riku. Both were looking at the small king with interest. "From what I've heard about both, their childhoods and social lives were practically non-existent…and wasn't Ienzo just a teenager when he lost his heart? How did they even meet?"

Mickey smiled at the two young men, who now resembled children waiting for a story they knew was bound to be fascinating. "Whelp, you're right about all that. They met shortly after Ansem took Ienzo on as an apprentice. Ienzo needed to obtain something for a project he and some of the other apprentices were researching for, and Ansem decided to send one of the elite guards, whom were each involved in SOLDIER, along with him for safety. The guard he chose was Sephiroth."

The mouse king's eyes grew slightly unfocused as he became lost in the memory. "Ienzo had not liked most of the soldiers he had met previously, because they were all brawns and no brains and only followed the directions of others whom they allowed to think for them. Sephiroth had never met Ienzo, but had seen him and considered him a mere child, even if a brilliant one. He wasn't looking forward to a baby-sitting job and he hoped the boy wasn't as emotional as most adolescents are. However, they were both loyal and dutiful, so they didn't question Ansem's desire for them to work together."

Mickey smiled again. "I think they figured out pretty quickly that you can't judge a book by its cover. Aside from having similar backgrounds, their personalities were similar and they got along very well. After they returned, Sephiroth always accompanied Ienzo on the few occasions that he had to leave town. I think they were each other's only friends outside of SOLDIER for Seph and Ansem's shadow for Ienzo." The small king frowned lightly.

Riku's brows drew slightly, "What is it?"

Mickey sighed, "In the end, I think it was his compassion for Sephiroth that lead to Ienzo's downfall. When Sephiroth started having problems with Jenova, and he learned about what Dr. Hojo had done to him, he realised he needed Ansem's help. Even as a member of SOLDIER and part of Ansem's elite guard, he couldn't just speak to Ansem without attracting attention…So, he went to Ienzo, who arranged a private meeting in secret. When Ienzo heard what was happening, he immediately volunteered to look into Dr. Hojo's research on Jenova and each of his projects in order to try to find a way to help Sephiroth. Ansem agreed and that's how most of these reports came to be."

"What does that have to do with Ienzo becoming Zexion?" asked Axel. "I thought that had something to do with all of the apprentices continuing Ansem's research on darkness and hearts or something like that…"

"Whelp, Zexion was the last to join that project," replied Mickey, still looking downcast. "He said he thought they were wasting time in studying hearts, which were illogical and unpredictable, when there was still so much more to be learned about the mind. So he continued with his own research while they became obsessed with hearts and darkness."

The redhead snorted, "That sounds like Zexy."

"However, when he learned about all of the horrible things that Professor Hojo and many of the other scientists at ShinRa had done, Ienzo began to think that maybe there was a reason to learn about the darkness in people's hearts. He couldn't understand any other way for another scientist to take such an unethical and impractical route. He also knew of what was happening to Sephiroth at that point, and thought that perhaps they could stop the darkness from spreading in someone's heart."

"So he wanted to treat the darkness like a disease?" questioned Riku.

Mickey nodded, "One day, he wanted nothing to do with the project, and the next, he convinced Ansem to set up the underground labs for some practical experiments. The day after they were set up, he, Sephiroth, and the apprentice who would later become Lexaeus, left and returned with the first few captured Heartless."

Axel shook his head, "Wow, Ienzo was more like Zexion than I ever imagined. I figured he just got like that after he lost his heart…"

Riku lowered his head with a despondent expression on his face. The redhead beside him nudged his arm with his own; "What's wrong, Ku?"

Turquoise eyes rose to meet emerald green. "That decision led to their downfall, which in turn led to the Heartless overtaking this world…and it all happened because of us. If-"

"It wasn't your fault or your dad's," Axel interjected in a surprisingly commanding tone. "If anyone is to blame, I'd say its Hojo and Ansem. If Ansem hadn't started all of this research into hearts and darkness to begin with and Hojo hadn't decided to experiment with angel DNA, then none of this would have happened. Considering that would mean neither of us would be here, I cannot honestly say I'm sorry about any of it, but it doesn't matter either way. It was before our time and we can't do anything to change it now. We're already doing what we can to fix their mistakes, so stop beating yourself up already or I'm calling your boyfriend over here…or worse, your new dad."

The silvered teen chuckled weakly and then returned the gesture when Axel nudged his arm again. Mickey smiled at the interaction. Axel's smirk faded slightly after a moment; "Besides, Zexion never blamed Sephiroth. In fact, he's the one who helped him regain some of his sanity later on."

Riku looked up to stare at his fiery friend immediately. "What…? How...?"

"I was actually around for that one, but I still don't know all of the details," admitted the redhead apologetically. "One day, Zexion returned from meeting Sephiroth and was just…sad is the best way to describe it. After a couple days, Demyx went to Lexaeus to find out what was going on, and Lexaeus told him that Sephiroth had started to regain some of his memories from before everything, he also had a feeling that he was supposed to find something."

Axel shook his head as though he were impressed; "Zexion must have really respected Sephiroth, because he had never used any of his abilities on him. After Sephiroth told him about the memories and the feeling, Zexy offered to open his mind for him. Sephiroth agreed and found out about you, not that we knew what it was or who you were at the time, but I digress... Sephiroth left that day to try to find you, but I guess he got sidetracked by Cloud and trying to figure out a way to be sane for good. The sad thing is...I think Zexion could have helped him fight Jenova better than anyone could have, if he had decided to stick around. I guess you got your tendency to try to do everything on your own from him."

"Yeah…" Riku looked down again. "You know, I feel even worse about killing Zexion now…"

"Don't," Axel replied simply as he draped an arm around the teen's shoulders, "Because you didn't kill him."

Turquoise eyes blinked a couple of times before Riku turned to Axel again, "What?"

"In the future, if you're gonna leave someone for dead, make sure their dying first." The fiery young man smirked at his friend.

"But Sora didn't kill him either…" stated the silver-haired boy.

"Nope, your replica did." The emerald-eyed man shrugged and grinned. "I sort of told him he could become his own person by gaining power where you failed…which was in defeating Zexion."

Riku sighed, "And you waited around to make sure he died, I assume?"

Emerald eyes blinked, "Well…sort of…"

A silver eyebrow arched, "Sort of?" Suddenly, the teen chuckled. "For people who have saved the worlds, we really do suck at the whole vanquishing-enemies-thing; they seem to keep coming back or never leaving to begin with…"

Mickey chuckled and Axel smirked and nodded.

The three continued talking as they returned to going through the library.


	272. Ultima

_Prompt: Ultima_

_Given by: Mister E_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Pre-KH_

_Pairings: Zack/Aerith, Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi)_

_Author's note: The spells mentioned in this story that are not seen in the Kingdom Hearts games are from Final Fantasy VIII. I do not own any rights to them either. In addition, Ienzo, Braig, and Even are better known by their Nobodies, Zexion, Xigbar, and Vexen. I'm not all that pleased with this one, but thank you for reading and enjoy._

* * *

Zack owed Sephiroth…big time.

When the general had been asked to choose one of the other members of SOLDIER to accompany him on a mission for Ansem the Wise, Zack had all but demanded that his friend choose him. Sephiroth agreed and allowed the raven-haired teen to be his aid. While the young man was truly skilled, eager to please, and generally got along well with Sephiroth, he also had considerably more personality than the general was used to handling while on active duty.

It did not help that Zack and Braig, one of the two apprentices that Ansem had sent in his stead, got on fantastically and were each rather voluble.

"So then, I fell through the roof of this old church and there was this girl…_wow_. I thought I'd died and an angel had been sent to take me to heaven…" The violet-eyed SOLDIER was practically swooning as Braig only encouraged him to tell more about the girl.

Feline-like eyes flickered to Ienzo. The boy met his gaze with a look that summed up what the silver-haired man was feeling perfectly.

Sephiroth's one reprieve in this mission was that the youngest of Ansem's apprentices had surprised everyone by volunteering to go in place of one of the others, who had to remain at the research centre when an issue arose with another project.

Braig began to laugh vivaciously as Zack continued to tell how he talked the angelic girl into going on a date with him and how they had been together ever since.

"Braig, Lieutenant Colonel Fair," Ienzo interrupted monotonously. He glanced along the wooden landscape they were travelling. "The creature Xehanort wanted should be a few miles north of here and the plant needed for Even's project is south. Why don't we split up and meet here at nightfall?"

"That sounds like a good idea," replied Braig with a smirk. "I'll go after the monster," he added as he pulled a pair of customised handguns out of his pack.

"Zackary, go with Braig," stated Sephiroth levelly. "I'll remain with Ienzo."

The violet-eyed man glanced at the youngest member of their party, clearly noting that the boy was barely half Sephiroth's size and carried no weapons. He then nodded; "Good luck."

As Zack and Braig turned and headed north, they picked up yet another strand of conversation, this time on firearms, as they checked their ammunition.

"Is he always so loquacious?" questioned the pre-teen flatly.

"Mainly when he has someone equally so to converse with," replied Sephiroth evenly.

The boy rolled his eyes, "So naturally Ansem had to send Braig…"

The silver-haired man nodded once and then turned to head south,

Ienzo shifted closer to Sephiroth as they walked, and spoke quietly but casually. "How is Dr. Akeru? I have not spoken to her since she went on leave."

"She misses work," commented the silver-haired man just as quietly. Not for the first time, he wondered if the boy had guessed the true relationship he had with Hilargi, "Although she is looking forward to the challenges of motherhood."

"That sounds like her." The young scientist's voice remained neutral, although his eyes flickered to Sephiroth more often than usual. "Are she and Lieutenant Colonel Fair friends as well?"

A silver eyebrow arched slightly as Sephiroth glanced at the boy beside him. They had become fast friends after completing two previous missions together, and this type of casual questioning was unusual for the boy. "Yes. She met him shortly after she and I were introduced."

"That is good. I imagine she does not have many friends. It is hard to maintain a social life with the line of work we are in," commented Ienzo evenly. "In fact, others have stated that you are the only individual she has been seen alone with as of late. You should be careful, someone might suspect that you sired her child…although, I can understand wanting to help a friend."

Sephiroth caught a shift in tone with the boy's last words, as well as a meaningful glance. Had it been anyone else, the general would have suspected that he or she was subtly asking him if he were in fact the father. However, he doubted that was the present case. Ienzo most likely did not care; he simply wished to warn his friend of a foreseeable problem and offer a practical solution.

"Yes," the silvered man kept his tone even as well, but met the boy's gaze openly. "I do intend to help her, but I would not want anyone to suspect that I was the father of her child. I wasn't aware of her recent lack of socialising…perhaps I should speak to her about that."

The boy nodded and appeared to be thinking. They continued to walk in comfortable silence.

The general had been contemplating their disguised conversation when he suddenly sensed danger. He stopped walking immediately.

Ienzo stopped as well, and his eyes appeared to be focused on something unseen. The feline-eyed man had gotten to know him well enough to know that the boy had an uncanny sense of smell. He could probably smell the impending threat as well as Sephiroth could sense it.

The boy's eyes seemed to focus on something in a darkened area nearby. "Roth…what is that?"

The silver-haired man followed the boy's eye line and noticed that a shadow appeared to be moving. Sephiroth slowly and instinctively moved to position himself between the young scientist and the strange creature as he silently drew Masamune.

Even as he did so, he noticed something moving ahead of them. It appeared to be another of the strange living shadows.

A shift behind him brought his attention to Ienzo, who had silently turned in the other direction. Looking over his shoulder, Sephiroth could see yet more of the shadow creatures gathering around them…the creatures were effectively surrounding the two males. He had a very bad feeling about these beings.

"Ienzo…"

"They smell strange…like the darkness Ansem and some of the others have taken an interest in," interjected the boy immediately. "But I have never heard of any creatures made entirely of shadow or darkness."

The strange creatures' numbers rose at a startling rate for another brief moment before they began their attack. Using the information the boy gave him, the general decided he should try magic first, and then hope a sword was effective against the creatures should that fail. Sephiroth cast several Firaga Walls, which proved effective against the odd monsters. He would have liked to cast Meteor; however, it was not wise to do that in front of one of Ansem's apprentices…even to a SOLDIER to had befriended said apprentice. The old sage had declared Meteor under forbidden magic with only one other spell.

Just as he decided to take the risk, doubting highly that the boy would report it and deeming it worth the risk anyway, Ienzo's voice spoke clearly from behind him.

"Ultima."

Each of the remaining enemies vanished into what appeared to be pure darkness.

A few more arose and wasted no time in attacking the young scientist, which Sephiroth noted as he spun and made a long horizontal slash with Masamune. The SOLDIER's attack was successful, and the silver-haired man quickly destroyed the remaining shadow creatures.

As soon as the last enemy perished, Sephiroth turned and feline-like eyes immediately sought out his temporary charge. The boy was calmly removing a couple of potions from his pockets. "Are you injured?"

"No; thank you. These are Ether." Ienzo tossed one of the potions to the silver-haired man, who caught it easily.

Sephiroth drank the potion and felt his magical energy restore instantly. He glanced at the boy again. "I was not aware that you knew that type of magic."

"Few are;" the young scientist turned his attention to the general as well. "That was not the spell you were contemplating then…can you cast Meteor?"

"You do know that those are both forbidden," the FIRST CLASS stated more than asked.

"Yes…but better I should cast one than you," replied the boy. He turned to continue the way they had been heading before the interruption, with Sephiroth falling into step beside him easily. "And in the future, I'd like you to know that I would leave it out of my report if you did use such a spell."

With a small nod of acknowledgment, Sephiroth decided that he would be leaving the specific spell that Ienzo cast out of his report to Dr. Hojo. While the silver-haired man did not like that Ansem commonly used his apprentices as test subjects as well, he was pleased that the boy was one of them now.

Even Dr. Hojo would not dare to taint one of Ansem's experimental subjects.

The silvered man hoped that his own child would be able to avoid such a life entirely.


	273. Redheads

_Prompt: Redheads_

_Given by: Pillow-Talk_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Tifa/Rude, Cloud/Reno, Zack/Aerith, Leon/Riku_

* * *

Cloud sat in one of the uncomfortable chairs in the hall of the hospital. He yawned widely and ran a hand through his hair before checking his watch. It was just past eleven in the morning, which meant he had been here for around seven hours after getting about four hours of sleep. Sometimes he was actually grateful for his time in SOLDIER.

The spiky-haired man cracked a grin when he heard Reno's voice drift through the door beside him. Despite having gotten less sleep than Cloud and not having the benefit of S cells, the Turk was still his usual self, if not a bit goofy. At the moment, it sounded like he was scaring one of the nurses away.

Sure enough, a nurse with short blonde hair and a nametag that read _Ashe _all but ran from the room shortly afterwards. Reno's laughter filled the nearly empty hall before the door swung closed and muffled it.

A moment later, the redhead stepped out of the room and plopped into the chair beside Cloud. "You look way too damn good for someone I had to literally drag out of bed at four this morning, yo."

The azure-eyed man smirked, "I see you got rid of the annoying nurse for Tifa."

The Turk chuckled and casually draped an arm over the blonde man's shoulders. "Yeah, I think Rude was going to actually toss her out soon if I didn't. Right now, anything that upsets Tifa must go away or die as far as he's concerned…"

"I sort of noticed that when he 'asked' me to sit outside for a while," replied the spiky-haired man flatly. Then he grinned slightly at the memory of the usually taciturn man taking charge when Tifa and Cloud started to get upset. "I'm glad Tifa found someone who can accept that she isn't going to be the usual girlfriend but will still step up to the plate when she needs him to…he really is perfect for her."

Reno nodded with a grin as well. "Rude has never been happier, yo. I know you still can't tell much of a difference, but he sounded ecstatic when he called me this morning. He honestly loves that woman."

Cloud nodded and raised one hand to squeeze Reno's lightly, but he ended up crushing it painfully when he heard the doctor yell for the nurse to return to the room immediately.

"If you're done breaking my fingers," Reno's voice interrupted the blonde man's thoughts before he could worry too much. "Let me point out that I did get rid of the nurse who, while annoying, was probably there for a reason in the first place…"

The azure-eyed man released the Turk's hand and cursed lightly when he noticed that it was actually bruising. "Oh shit…I didn't really break it, did I?"

"Eh, I don't think so, but if you did, where better to break something than in a hospital?" replied the redhead easily as he flexed his fingers experimentally. He stopped too abruptly for it to seem natural. "Anyway, you need to relax, yo. Everything's been fine so far; the doctor said it just takes a while sometimes…especially when it's the first kid."

"Yeah," Cloud nodded and then chuckled. "It's a good thing I'm never having kids…"

Reno chuckled as well, "I'd have to do a lot more than just get rid of a snotty nurse and let you bruise my hand…"

The nurse returned to Tifa's room without looking at either man, just before a black-haired nurse walked out of another room. He casually noticed Reno's injured hand and cast a healing spell.

"Thanks," Cloud stated.

The young man waved it off, "Happens all the time. Is it correct to presume you're with Dr. Rui's patients?"

"Yeah," replied the Turk as he cracked his knuckles.

"Well don't worry," the young man, whose nametag read _Larsa_,looked at Cloud. "Dr. Rui is one of our best. She used to be WRO during the time the planet was evacuated and you aren't going to find anyone better trained in town." With a small encouraging nod, the nurse headed down the hall.

"No wonder Vincent and Reeve recommended her," commented Cloud after the nurse had left.

Reno nodded and then looked at the azure-eyed man. "You want something to drink? I'm going to get a soda form the machine down the hall…"

The ex-SOLDIER nodded, "Thanks. Did they say anything about how long it would be when you came out here?"

"Sounded like it was going to be soon now," replied the Turk as he stood. "That's why they kicked me out."

The blonde man stood, stretched, and then paced for a couple of minutes while the redhead retrieved drinks. Once Reno returned, they both sat in the stiff chairs once again.

The Turk glanced up and down the hall. "They really need to get more interesting artwork for these places. They're dull enough without the crap they hang up everywhere. Maybe they can get Silver to do a few sketches and paintings for them…his stuff's good."

"You've actually seen his artwork?" questioned Cloud. "He usually holds his sketchbook and sets up his easels so no one can see them while he's working."

"You mean he sets them so they are facing him…and when does he ever sit or stand with his back to the room?" amended the redhead. "All you have to do is walk around him so you can see it, yo. He doesn't usually care; he just doesn't volunteer to show it to anyone."

Suddenly, azure eyes blinked and then narrowed slightly in thought.

Reno arched an eyebrow, "What?"

"Did you call Zack or Aerith?"

"No, I figured that was your job…you didn't call them?"

Cloud shook his head. "I didn't think of it until you mentioned Riku."

The Turk shrugged, "Well you better call then, or Fair will never let you hear the end of it and Aerith can be pretty scary when she's pissed, yo."

The ex-SOLDIER pulled out his cell phone and dialled. "Riku, give the phone to Zack," he practically barked out before a brief pause, after which, he spoke normally. "Zack, I-" Confusion flitted over his face as he suddenly paused. "…I wasn't mean to your godson-"

"Yeah, you were," interjected Reno, earning him a swat on the chest.

Cloud sighed and looked slightly apologetic. "I'm sorry, okay? Look, Reno and I are at the hospital. Yeah, we're fine. Tifa and Rude are having their baby. They're alright; we've been here since four this morning so- …I didn't want to wake you on your day off and it can take a long- …Yeah, I did. Sorry… I'll let Tifa know when they let us in again. Bye."

The spiky-haired man hung up and turned to Reno. "He and Riku are going to go home and get Aerith, and then they're all heading over here. Was I really mean to Riku?"

The Turk nodded, "He understands, but don't be surprised if he or Stone Cold end up kicking your ass soon, yo."

Before Cloud could reply, both men fell silent as the sound of a baby crying carried over from their friends' room. They each smiled widely.

After several minutes, the nurse exited the room and scurried past the two men as quickly as she could without actually running. Dr. Rui walked out shortly afterwards. She smiled at the two men as she clutched a chart in her prosthetic arm and adjusted her glasses with her real hand. "Your friends are ready to see you now. I'll let them give you the details."

Both men thanked her and shook her hand before entering the room.

Tifa was lying in the hospital bed, looking tired, happy, and relieved. Rude was half sitting on the bed beside her, holding a small bundle in blue blankets.

Tifa smiled and held out a hand; Cloud crossed to the opposite side of the bed from Rude and took it right away. "Hey, want to meet your godson?"

"How are you feeling?" The blonde man smiled as Reno shot around the bed and began congratulating Rude.

"Pretty good," replied the mahogany-eyed woman as she watched Rude and Reno leaning over the baby as the latter talked non-stop. "I see someone filled up on caffeine…"

Cloud chuckled and nodded, then he addressed the other two men, "Hey, I'd like to see him sometime today too…"

Rude handed the baby to Reno and moved closer to Tifa. The blue-eyed man walked around so Cloud could see the baby. Tifa smiled as Rude wrapped an arm around her, "Meet Mail Reno Lockhart."

Cloud smiled as the newborn looked at him, although the baby did not seem to be registering anything. Mail had Tifa's eyes and skin tone, with Rude's jaw line and cheekbones…and a shock of dark red hair atop his head.

Azure eyes blinked and shifted to Tifa and Rude, who were both smirking. "Rude's mother had red hair," the mahogany-eyed woman offered. "I guess he passed it on."

Reno smirked, "'Bout time we had some more redheads around here anyway."

The ex-SOLDIER shook his head. "Let's just hope he has more sense than the other redheads running around here…"


	274. Model

_Prompt: Model_

_Given by: Pillow-Talk_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Implied Leon/Riku, Zack/Aerith, Post-Sephiroth/OC_

* * *

Axel released a low whistle of appreciation as he and Riku walked past the Bailey of Riku's virtual reconstruction of Radiant Garden from before the Heartless.

"Damn, Ku…good job." Emerald green eyes flickered around as Axel spoke. "If you leave out the lack of inhabitants, this one is even more impressive than the digital model of Twilight Town was…and you never even saw this world like this."

Riku grinned as he too, took in their surroundings. "I couldn't do the people…it didn't feel right. Squall was impressed the first time I brought him here too…and it wasn't even this far along yet. He gave me a lot of details I hadn't known about."

The redhead snorted, "I bet he was floored. I would love to have seen the look on his face when DiZ, or Ansem, greeted him. Have Sora and Kairi seen this yet or will this be their first time?"

"They saw it the last time they visited for a weekend." The turquoise-eyed boy smiled softly at the memory. "I figured it would be best for them to see you for the first time without any interruptions."

Axel chuckled, "This is going to be great. I wonder if Sora will get that same I'm-pissed-because-I-have-no-idea-what-the-hell-is-happening look that Roxas used to get sometimes…"

Riku chuckled as well. "I've seen that look. I'm thinking he'll get that blank expression he gets when his mind is catching up first, then he'll go to that, and then he'll be acting like he's got an old friend back."

"No wonder Roxas was so…extreme," remarked the emerald-eyed man as they reached the marketplace. "His Other is a moody little bastard…"

A feminine voice suddenly shouted from the direction of the Borough; "Riku!"

Axel smirked but did not turn. Riku grinned and turned to face the new arrivals. "Hey, you guys made good time."

"Yeah, now that I've flown the Gummi path over here a few times, I've really gotten the hang of it," commented Sora as he and Kairi ran to catch up to their friend. "So whose this friend you wanted us to-"

Axel turned and the spiky-haired teen stopped moving so abruptly that he stumbled. Kairi, unused to adjusting her momentum so suddenly, actually ran into Sora. Both straightened themselves out quickly and then stared at the redhead.

Kairi looked confused, shocked, and nervous. Sora wore the expected blank expression. Both simply stared for a few seconds.

"Er, guys…?" Riku tucked some hair behind his ear as his eyes flickered between his three friends. "You remember Axel, right…?"

The auburn-haired girl's shock ebbed and she blinked several times as though expecting the image before her to change. Sora worked his mouth wordlessly for a moment before his expression changed to one of anger and confusion.

"How the hell…?" Suddenly, cerulean eyes turned from Axel to Riku. "So _this _is why you got so upset when I said he was dead? Why didn't you ever tell me that _he _was the friend you made while I was sleeping? I told you I thought he might have been an okay guy towards the end…"

"Yeah, and you felt a _little bit _bad about his death," interjected the silvered teen. "How bad would you have felt if I said that he was one of my few friends during that time? And I told you, I wasn't just upset because of him…"

"Okay, I think you guys missed the part where there is a _dead Nobody_ standing here," stated Kairi, sounding somewhat exasperated. "How come he isn't floating in the dark realm somewhere or joined with his other or…_something_? Does he even have a heart?"

"Yes," Axel and Riku chimed together.

"How did that happen?" asked Sora, looking slightly lost. He turned to Riku again, "And why didn't you mention that he was him when you said your friend was back?"

"He wanted to surprise you," replied the turquoise-eyed boy with a small shrug. Then he smirked slightly, "And the looks on your faces were definitely worth the harassment I know you're going to give me later on for this."

"You still haven't explained anything," commented Kairi with a touch of impatience.

"Wow, there's a quality that didn't get passed onto Naminé," remarked Axel. He grinned and held up a hand when the girl looked ready to snap at him. "Relax and we'll explain, okay? Well, as much as we can anyway."

"What do you mean by that?" questioned Sora, who was looking over Axel in a scrutinising manner.

"He means we don't know how this happened exactly," answered Riku.

"I did fade into darkness like Kairi pointed out I should have," explained Axel. "But then I saw a light and it sort of…went into me. I felt better than I could ever remember feeling. It was like being with Roxas or Riku, only stronger. I felt complete. Then, I woke up in Twilight Town -the real one, mind you- and realised I was alive and had a heart. I guess Kingdom Hearts decided to give me one after all."

Sora and Kairi each seemed to think over this explanation. After a moment, they looked at one another and shrugged.

Kairi smiled pleasantly when they turned back to the other two. "So, how did you two become friends to begin with?"

Sora linked his hands behind his neck and shifted his weight to stand more comfortably, "And how did you end up here, Axel?"

Both of the taller males smiled and their postures became more relaxed. Riku glanced at Kairi, "We ran into each other a few times just after we left Castle Oblivion. I could tell he wasn't like most of the others, but I still wasn't ready to trust anyone…after a while, I realised he was basically doing what I was and he had proven himself trustworthy a couple of times, so I started talking to him and we became friends."

"Little brat made me work for it," added the redhead as he grinned at the silvered teen. "I swear it was easier to crack Roxas' shell than his. I wouldn't have bothered normally, but what can I say, the kid's intriguing."

Kairi and Sora both nodded at the statement and Axel continued speaking as he returned his gaze to them. "I figured out pretty quickly after waking up that I can't use dark corridors to travel anymore and it's not like I had access to a Gummi ship, so I was stuck on Twilight Town for a while. Then I remembered that weird train and took it to Yen Sid's tower. He hated me, but I was able to get him to tell me that Riku had made it and to pass a message to him eventually. Once Ku got it, he found me no problem and talked me into coming back here with him."

"He didn't take much convincing," interjected the turquoise-eyed teen. "More like a guarantee that he wasn't going to get ambushed by everyone else here and then he was ready to leave that minute…"

"Hey, I'm a people person," stated the redhead jovially. "Unfortunately, all of my people seem to be dead except for you, so why would I go anywhere but where you are? Besides, it's fun to watch your boyfriend's jaw clench when I flirt with you…even better when you don't notice it, because then this little vein in his-"

"And why exactly is torturing my boyfriend fun?" asked Riku with an arched eyebrow.

"It just is," replied the emerald-eyed man with a smirk. "Why do you think your dad and I get along so well?"

Sora frowned and looked at his best friend, "Your dad…?"

"He means Zack."

"Don't you think he should just call Zack 'dad'?" Kairi asked Axel vehemently.

"Totally," agreed the redhead with a nod as he pulled out a cigarette.

"Oh great, now she has backup," murmured Riku.

Sora patted his shoulder consolingly. "Hey, at least we can outrun them if all else fails...and Axel isn't hard to convert."

"That's true," agreed the silver-haired teen.

Kairi rolled her eyes and Axel reacted with mock offence, "Hey! I do not convert easily." He smirked and added, "I just make people think I do so I can play on both sides of the board."

"Okay, you have a point there," Riku acquiesced.

The redhead smiled at his friend and then looked around, "So do I get to see the rest of your model town here, now that you know they're cool with this?"

"Riku," Kairi placed a hand on her hip. "You didn't actually think that we would be mad at you for befriending him, did you? We know that you got to see another side of most of the Nobodies and more importantly, we trust you…when are you going to get that through your head?"

"Uh, Kairi...?" Sora scratched the back of his head. "I don't think snapping at him for being worried about our reactions is going to help him not be worried about them in the future…"

"I'm working on it, okay?" added Riku. "I don't usually worry that much, it's just…there's been a lot of serious changes to react to lately."

"So what?" replied Sora. He indicated Axel, "Did you think _this _was going to be the final straw?"

"Uh, hey…I'm a human being now," remarked Axel.

"He meant the situation," stated Riku offhandedly.

The redhead nodded, paused in thought, and then suddenly started laughing. The three teens turned to him, looking confused. Axel regained his composure and turned to Riku, "How can you know them well enough to tell me exactly what expressions they'll have and translate a poorly executed statement without any thought, but still worry about their reactions?"

Riku shrugged and Kairi tilted her head in thought as she looked from Riku to Axel. Her inky-blue eyes settled on Riku after a brief moment, "You know…I think he's going to be a good influence on you."

Sora nodded, "Yeah, between him, Zack, and Reno, you should lighten up in no time."

"Wow, there's a change…I've never been the good influence before," commented Axel. He suddenly turned to Riku. "Hey, what happens if we light a fire in here?"

Sora turned to his best friend curiously.

Riku answered dryly, "I don't know and we are not trying it to see…at least while they're in here."

Kairi sighed, "I take it back…"


	275. Gothic

_Prompt: Gothic_

_Given by: Pillow-Talk_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Pre-KH_

_Pairings: None_

_Author's note: This one reads rather like a report to me, which I find odd yet interesting. I hope that some of you will find it so as well. …And just a reminder for those who need one, Ienzo was Zexion's Other and Ansem's youngest apprentice/test subject. Thank you for reading and enjoy._

* * *

Ienzo had been bred and raised for a purpose beyond that of normal children. What that purpose was, the child could not say, but he knew this was true.

He had been bred and engineered to be small and weak physically, not so much that he could not survive on his own, but enough that he would never be able to rely on his physical strength to defend himself or make a living. He had also been bred and engineered to be highly intelligent, so his mind would more than make up for what his slight form lacked.

The room he spent most of his short life in until that point was grey. The walls, floor and ceiling were grey, and the furniture consisted of a small grey cot with plain grey blankets, a grey treadmill, a grey sensory deprivation chamber that the boy tented to avoid looking at, and a small steel desk with a grey chair. The handles on the closet (filled with plain grey clothes) and bathroom door were steel and the door to the rest of the labs did not have an interior handle. The bathroom consisted of a three by three room in the corner, completely covered in grey titles, with a grey toilet, grey basin, and steel knobs and faucets; the entire room also served as a shower.

Even his mother and the other scientists who entered the room to perform various tests or teach him numerous subjects wore the same plain grey uniforms.

One entire wall of the grey room was a steel bookshelf, filled with books that all had grey bindings, although the boy now knew that most of them were not normally that colour and must have been bound especially for the project. However, there was at least one clear reason for all of this. For there _was _something in the room that was not grey (aside from the boy himself, though that was hardly interesting as there were also no mirrors);

The most notable thing in the room was the _pages _of the books, which were white with black printing and full colour photographs, illustrations, and diagrams.

The boy learned to read at an early age, and even prior to that would browse the books for their photos. There were books on all forms of science, math, the arts, history, geography, plants, animals, carpentry, and many more subjects. The child had lived mainly in his mind and books, and he was sure that this was the intention of the experiment, which was later dubbed The Window Project. It was named thus for a window that began to appear on one of the plain grey walls that the child often stared at while lost in thought...a window that began in his mind but had somehow become visible in the real world, although it was certainly not real.

Ienzo still was not sure what the end goal had been, but that no longer mattered. During the very month that he had turned eight, Ansem the Wise had discovered The Window Project and put a stop to it almost immediately. The scientists who worked on it were reassigned and Ienzo was taken to Ansem's castle to live as one of his apprentices.

The sage's castle was a strange blend of gothic and modern architecture that most found slightly discomforting, but Ienzo adored it. It was so different from what he was used to, with high ceilings, warm wooden beams and furniture, paintings and tapestries, other people residing there, and most importantly, wide windows that sometimes spanned nearly an entire wall. Even the laboratories, which were kept sealed, sterile, and plain in comparison to the rest of the castle and research centre, were brilliant to his eyes and mind.

The child could remain in the labs, library, or gardens for hours on end…or even in his quarters, which held no trace of grey and had a real window that allowed in the sunlight and showed a view of one of Ansem's gardens. Ienzo also found a friend in one of Ansem's other apprentices and another in one of his elite guards.

Ienzo was also pleased to be able to put his mind to a more immediate and tangible use, as his work in the labs and research centre was able to better the lives of others or simply answer long-asked questions.

In truth, the child was still an experiment and The Window Project was not as dead as it appeared on paper, for Ansem liked to experiment and encourage the boy's unique talent with illusions; and the sage never hesitated to use his apprentices as test subjects for various experiments in which he took an interest. However, his tests and experiments were not as detrimental as the boy's former isolation had been, so Ienzo found it a fair trade.

Another eight years down the road, the trade did not seem so fair. However, what was a lab mouse to do other than complete the maze in which it was placed?


	276. Last Resort

_Prompt: Last Resort_

_Given by: Summing up the Stars_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII (by about a year); Post-everything else I have ever written_

_Pairings: Zack/Aerith, Leon/Riku, Cloud/Reno; Post-Vincent/Lucrecia, Post-Sephiroth/Hilargi (OC)_

* * *

Zack flipped through Hilargi's old notes for what must have been the thousandth time. He understood as much of her old test results and theories as he was probably going to without the aid of a true scientist explaining it to him and knew every examination that she would have liked to perform on Riku at this point, were she still alive.

The problem was, she was _not _alive and Zack did not know any more about science and medical exams than the next person did. That left him with a rather notable problem. Between Aerith and Dr. Sid, he could most likely run all of the recommended tests, but then how would he make sense of the results? He had no idea how all of this information was supposed to help him take care of Riku.

Everyone he could have turned to with this problem was gone.

The violet-eyed man released a heavy sigh. For once, he felt the age he rightly was rather than the age he looked thanks to Mako treatment and being lost to the darkness for so many years.

Opening another one of Hilargi's old files, the raven-haired man smiled. Among all of the scientific documents that gave him a headache, were some other papers that his old friend had kept over the years.

One was a large piece of cardstock, with the words _Happy 1__st__ Mother's Day Mommy_ written on it sloppily and a dozen tiny handprints and footprints of various colours. Zack remembered making it for Hilargi with Riku years before. There were also some old drawings, which the ex-SOLDIER presumed Riku had done while he was in grade school. Each depicted Sephiroth and Zack back when they used to work together in SOLDIER…at a much happier time, which the boy should not have been aware of when he drew the scenes.

"Those are very good," commented a deep voice form behind the violet-eyed man. "Sephiroth looked more like his mother then."

Zack started and turned to look at Vincent. "When did you get here? …And will you make some noise when you're entering? You're almost as bad at Riku…"

"My apologies," stated the crimson-eyed man, not sounding any different form when he made the previous observation. "Someone approached me who needed to speak to you and I felt it best if we didn't advertise our arrival."

"There's someone else here?" questioned the ex-SOLDIER, glancing around. There did not appear to be anyone else in the room.

Then, a smaller figure stepped out from behind Vincent, almost appearing to materialize out of his shadow. The boy looked to be around sixteen or seventeen and was short and slight enough to make Cloud, Riku, and even Sora look large by comparison.

He also looked incredibly familiar to Zack; if the boy had been younger, and the eyes and hair lighter, than he would have resembled someone the man used to know…although the teen should have been older now. Violet-eyes blinked a few times, "Ienzo…?"

The teen smirked slightly, "Not quite."

The final piece fell into place. "Zexion…"

The small Nobody nodded once. "I do posses all of Ienzo's memories though, so there really is no need for further introductions. Actually, I'd rather get straight to the point of this visit, if it's all the same to you."

Zack turned to Vincent. "Do I even want to know?"

The crimson-eyed man glanced at the young figure standing before them. "I would trust him…in this instance."

The violet-eyed man nodded and returned his attention to the blue-haired teen. "I'm guessing you want something…what is it?"

"I want to know how Roth recently came to be murdered and resurrected," replied the boy simply. His tone was calm, with a slightly bitter edge that the older man could recall hearing in his Other.

The ex-colonel drew his brows slightly, "Why?"

Zexion crossed his arms and met the much taller man's gaze evenly, "Because I think I can save him…but I'll need your assistance to do so."

Zack was floored by the sheer confidence in the statement. He glanced at Vincent again, who merely nodded. The ex-SOLDIER presumed the elder had already asked most of the questions he would like to about how the Nobody was even aware of this much. He looked at the Nobody again. "You've been keeping track of him?"

"As well as anyone can hope to." The boy's voice was still set in that same tone; his face unreadable, save for traces of irritation.

Zack bit his lip and made a quick decision, hoping he was not trusting the wrong people. "A couple friends and I went to a location near the ruins of Midgar. There were three men there, who were uncannily like Sephiroth. Seph arrived and helped us to defeat them. Then," Violet eyes darted to Vincent briefly, "He destroyed the remains of Lucrecia. We thought he had gone crazy again, but he found me and explained…he was doing it to protect Riku."

Zexion tilted his head thoughtfully. His only visible eye remained locked on Zack; "How so?"

"He said that by destroying those with ties to Jenova, we could sever her ability to harm Riku," answered the ex-SOLDIER. His voice broke slightly on the next confession; "He went after Angeal…and killed him too. Meanwhile, he had told us where to find Genesis. We did, and we killed him. After that…"

The boy's eye finally broke away when Zack's voice failed him. The young Nobody looked distant, thoughtful, and cheerless. "Then he attacked and you killed him…"

Not trusting his voice, Zack nodded sadly. Zexion shook his head slowly and then raised one hand to tap his upper lip absently. "That does not make sense…Jenova's consciousness survives as long as any of her cells remain. Roth would know this. Killing the others only served to sever what remained of…_them_…"

Zack felt as though his heart had dropped into his stomach as the teen looked at him with a slightly lost and pained expression. The violet-eyed man shook his head slowly, "_No_…no…"

"I believe the 'men' you spoke of were Sephiroth's remnants," stated the Nobody. "If that were the case, they would certainly be a threat to Riku. In his efforts to destroy them, Roth must have slipped in his ability to fight Jenova. She must have realised the only way to regain control was to destroy what he and the others had gained against her."

"So it wasn't…it wasn't Seph…" Zack had to sit down. He could feel himself shaking slightly. "He couldn't have-?"

"I told you, Roth would have known better," replied the blue-haired teen. "He and I spoke at length about Jenova as well as her ties to him and the others when we met after I ensured that the Organisation would not attempt to turn him into a Nobody. That is how he recovered as much of himself as he did…he was able to separate the truth from the lies."

"That's how he came back the last time?" questioned Zack, astounded. "That was you?"

"I helped, but it was not enough," answered the boy, dropping his arms and looking away. "We separated too often and he tried to do too much on his own. This time, we could be more focused. I could remain with him and you could help from time to time as well…once he recovered enough for it."

"What about Riku?" asked Zack. "Seph was really attached to him as a baby. Maybe having him around would help…he followed Riku before, but he would never talk to him. Only…I don't want Riku hurt. If Seph starts to come back and then turns the other way again, that might be too much on Ku. I love the idea of having Seph back but I'm not willing to risk Riku."

Zexion nodded his understanding. "Riku will have to remain distant for the time being anyway…it would be too much too quickly for Roth and their emotional status can effect the other's too strongly. The last thing we need is for both of them to crack."

The violet-eyed man nodded, beginning to feel the brilliant pull of hope once again. Ienzo had been a talented scientist who liked to focus on the mind…and he had loved Sephiroth dearly. At that thought, Zack looked at Zexion again, "…You love him."

A blue eyebrow arched as the Nobody returned his gaze; "Don't you?"

Zack blinked, "Well yeah, but I… I thought your kind couldn't do that. Although Riku and Axel seem to feel differently…Ku has a theory based on how humans actually feel emotions. He believes you can feel because we don't only feel with our hearts."

A slate blue eye rolled, "Even Xemnas' theory doesn't deny it in fact…he believed we only remembered emotions from our Other's memories. In either case, it fits that I would love him."

Zack nodded again, not being able to deny that the Nobody had a point. Another fact clicked into place for the ex-SOLDIER. "You're an illusionist…can you use that to bring him back?"

"Only as a last resort," answered Zexion right away. Clearly, he had put a good deal of thought into this matter. "If I use it to force him back into his right mind, then it won't be a true cure. It would not be much different from the illusions Jenova feeds him to control him when she desires to…and Roth will not appreciate the deception. I can use it to break through to him if he becomes too submerged in her…or if he grows terribly violent, but I want to approach this as a scientist first and an illusionist second."

The former colonel smiled deeply. "This might actually work…we might really be able to help him."

"Convincing him to try will be the difficult part," commented Vincent, whom Zack had nearly forgotten was there. "He is under her influence at present. You'll have to break through that before you can hope to talk to the friend you both remember."

Zack turned to Zexion again, "Any ideas for that."

"He came to me the last time," the boy stated with a small shrug. "I'll just have to let him come to me again…once I give him the proper motivation."

The ex-SOLDIER snorted, "It's no wonder you two became friends both before _and _after your little transformations…you're two peas in a pod."

"Well on that note, I believe I have an angel to find." Zexion nodded to Zack and Vincent and began walking towards the door. "I'll let you know once I've made contact. I'm sure he'll respond soon enough after that."

Zack nodded, still smiling. He turned to speak to Vincent but noticed the Mother's Day card he had been looking at before and had another epiphany. "Hey, Zexion, wait!"

The little Nobody stopped just as he was walking through the door. He merely turned back and arched an inquisitive eyebrow.

"When you come back…can you help me with something else?" asked the violet-eyed man as he thought quickly. "I'll set up a place outside of town for you and Seph to stay while you do it. I know of a place that's perfect for this. What do you say?"

The Nobody's state blue eye fell to the stack of papers on the coffee table, just as Zack's had a moment before. "You want me to complete Dr. Akeru's theory?"

Zack nodded and the teen returned the gesture. "You have a deal. I should return within two weeks. Tell only those whom you must of this."

Before Zack could reply, the little Nobody had stepped out of the house and literally vanished into a shadow.

The former colonel turned to Vincent with a broad grin. "Cloud is going to kill me…"


	277. Fervour

_Prompt: Fervour_

_Given by: Summing up the Stars_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Pre-CoM_

_Pairing: Post-Sephiroth/Ienzo; Pre-Sephiroth/Zexion_

_Author's note: I literally jut sat down and typed this up because I needed to get this out of my system in order to complete the Cloku Day story I'm working on. Blame or thank CrabOfDoom for turning me onto the pairing. Please keep your heads out of the gutter as you process that line. Oh, and remember that Sephiroth is not entirely sane here. Thank you and enjoy._

* * *

Sephiroth was not usually a man for external reactions, but he could not help but do a subtle double take when he glanced at the small Nobody approaching him in the Dark Depths.

The little non-being's eye-line was most likely level with the winged man's lower chest and the creature did not appear to be any older than sixteen, seventeen tops. He also carried no weapon and approached as though he had no reason to fear the former First Class.

Sephiroth allowed the blue-haired teen to approach him, noting that he had actually been slightly over-generous when deducting the boy's height. The silver-haired man guessed that the Nobody's talents lied outside the traditional methods of battle.

Deciding on a way to greet the boy that would not imply just how little he actually knew of the group that had sent him, Sephiroth immediately turned and brought forth Masamune so the tip of the blade was only a few inches away from the Nobody's throat.

"You're group must still be in disorder…if they would send a child to find me."

"Or I am simply talented at finding people," countered the teen without batting an eye. "You may lower Masamune, I have no intentions of trying to harm you and you should know by now that you have never intimidated me, Roth."

Catlike eyes blinked. Not only was the name used casually, but the teen's entire demeanour also fit the statement and the nickname perfectly. More surprising to Sephiroth was that it felt befitting to him as well…and the way the boy's visible eye rolled up slightly to meet and hold his gaze was familiar also.

"You know me." It was not a question and Sephiroth did not move his blade.

The teen responded in a slightly bitter tone. "I once did…but we were different people then."

The small non-being could have meant figuratively or literally, and Sephiroth suspected that it was a bit of both. He lowered Masamune as he began to look the teen over, and did not realise he was circling the boy in a rather predatory fashion until the little Nobody turned to face him, speaking calmly as he did so.

"Are we moving on to a strip-search next or are you willing to listen to what I have to say?"

Sea green eyes flickered to meet slate blue again. Sephiroth barely included his head. "First, why did you find me?"

"To propose an accord; stay out of the affairs of the Organisation I am in service of and it will stay out of yours."

"They sent you to deliver that message?" Sephiroth did not believe that for a moment.

"No, but that's the message I'm delivering." The boy's next statement was made with such confidence, in both voice and manner, that the winged man knew it was true. "I can assure you that I will make sure they stay away from you, but not if you act against them."

"And what makes you believe that I might agree to this proposal? Or that I would accept your…protection." The last word felt foreign to Sephiroth, but also right for the situation. As odd as it seemed, it was the only logical explanation for the non-being's conduct.

"You have no interest in the Organisation. Our plans and goals do not interfere with your own." Again, the little Nobody spoke with complete confidence. "It would simply remove the hassle of having them make any interference in the future. Why would my assistance be any different from any others, if it serves you?"

Now, the boy was beginning to both irritate and intrigue the winged man. No one stared at him like that, or spoke to him that way…and it was all so infuriatingly familiar. It was like trying to grasp the memory of a dream that you were sure turned into a nightmare at some point.

"Perhaps I had best rid myself of the possible inconvenience in another manner…" Sephiroth released Masamune; he would not need it for this. "The dead are no hassle."

The little Nobody scoffed. "You thought you were lost, Roth. …And yet, just by looking at me, you're starting to remember him. Do you really want to take _her _path when there's an alternative that could hold more options for you?"

Sephiroth had moved for an attack, without bothering to draw Masamune again, within the span of a heartbeat. The boy slipped out of his grasp just as quickly, disappearing into a shadow so completely before he emerged on the other side, that the winged man realised he actually _had _vanished briefly.

The ex-SOLDIER gave the Organisation a mental nod of approval. No matter the boy's age, stature, or skill in battle, a master of shadows was certainly the best choice to make when facing an adversary such as himself.

However, the little Nobody refused to flee or fight back and without taking one of those options, the boy's defeat was inevitable. Within two minutes, Sephiroth slammed the smaller form against a rock face. The teen gripped one of the winged man's wrists with a small hand and braced a booted foot against his thigh, clearly not giving up but still refusing to strike back or escape.

Sephiroth was as confused as he was impressed. The boy did not seem suicidal in the least, yet there did not seem to be any other practical reason why one would allow for this fight to begin under these terms. Clearly, there was a motive that the teen had not revealed yet, and Sephiroth wanted to know what that reason was.

With one hand on the boy's throat and the other gripping a slim hip, the silvered man easily held the boy a couple of feel above the floor, pressed against the rocks behind him.

Once again, those eyes rose to meet his, and Sephiroth was surprised to see the little Nobody looking both defiant and sad.

...But not nearly as surprised as when his own mouth crashed down upon the younger male's.

Sephiroth adjusted his grip as the small body's poise and aura changed from defensive to receptive just as quickly. Smooth, pliant lips returned the heated kiss with equal fervour as small hands altered from struggling against his larger frame to caressing it.

A moment later, after coats had been torn open for both mouths and hands to explore pale and toned bodies, Sephiroth paused as he slid one of his hands down the back of the teen's pants. The little Nobody halted as well, although neither male adjusted their position or altered their proximity.

The winged man remained completely still for a brief moment. He had not paused because he suddenly realised what he was doing, seeing that he had been in control all along. He paused because what they were doing felt just as familiar as speaking to the boy before had, and the winged man knew at least enough of his former life to know that intimacy had always been exceedingly rare for him.

Sephiroth spoke against the flesh just below the boy's ear, as that was where his mouth happened to be. "I've touched you like this before."

"Not me," the little Nobody breathed out, "Him…my Other."

A pale lip traced a small ear; "But you remember it."

"Yes, but, not as you do;" The little non-being turned his head slightly so that his temple caressed the winged man's cheek. "It's more like I was watching everything happen to him than as if I was him…"

The silvered man briefly considered the age group he had assumed the creature pressed between himself and the rocks to be…he definitely did not look any older than seventeen at best.

"The body of a Nobody doesn't alter," explained the blue-haired teen as though Sephiroth had spoken the thought aloud. "It's been a few years. He was fifteen when you were with him like this. Well, not quite like this…"

Sephiroth slowly and deliberately continued moving his hand as he had been until the teen gasped out the name 'Roth' softly. That too was familiar…as well a name he recalled gasping back: "Ienzo."

The quivering form sobered instantly. "Zexion; I'm not him…not quite."

"Zexion," The silvered man smirked ever so slightly as he tested the name. He decided that he liked it immediately. "I think it's time we began to make our own memories…"

When Zexion left the following day, he had accepted a counter offer. He was still going to see to it that the Organisation made no move against the ex-SOLDIER, and had the former general's assurance that he would not deliberately interfere with their affairs, but he was also going to report back to the winged man…as often as possible.


	278. Burst

_Prompt: Burst_

_Given by: Summing up the Stars_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII, Post- Colloquy, Redeem & Redheads_

_Pairings: Zack/Aerith, Leon/Riku, Tifa/Rude, Zell/Quistis, Cloud/Reno, Post-Sephiroth/OC, Possible Pre-Gippal/Yuffie_

_Author's note: I have no idea what I was thinking stylistically, but I rather like certain parts of this one. It should stand on its own fairly well, for those who did not read or do not recall the three stories mentioned above. Thank you for reading and enjoy._

* * *

Leon, Quistis, and Zack looked up from a chart they had been going over when Aerith and Tifa entered the room.

Zack smiled as Aerith greeted him with a kiss. Then, he glanced at the mahogany-eyed woman who had walked around to the other side of the table. "Where's the baby today?"

"With Rude and Reno," replied Tifa with a smile. "The two of them have completely taken over with him. Cloud's still a little nervous about handling him, but he's getting better about it."

"That's how Seph was when Ku was born," commented Zack as he wrapped an arm around his wife. "I don't think he was used to dealing with something so fragile…he was afraid he would hurt him. Cloud probably feels the same. Once Seph got over that though, it was hard to separate those two."

"What got me was how Zack took to Riku," added Aerith. "No one would have expected him to be that way with a baby."

"What got us is the way Reno has taken to Mail," stated Tifa. "And as much as Cloud would hate being compared to Sephiroth, I think you have a point there Zack."

"So what's keeping you guys here so late?" asked Aerith.

Quistis indicated the chart on the table. "We were just talking over the new defence program and patrol routes, now that we have a better handle on what areas have a higher danger risk. We actually didn't realise that it was getting late."

Cid walked in the room then and put out his cigarette as soon as he spotted Tifa. "Hey, I didn't expect to see you back so soon. Where's the little bastard at…still with the Turks?"

"Mm-Hmm, Reno wanted him to see Chocobos so he would understand the reference when you call Cloud 'Chocobo head'," replied the umber-haired woman. "I tried explaining that Mail wouldn't recognise them at this age, but you know Reno…and Rude thought it would be fun to take Mail into the country for the day anyway." Tifa smiled and shrugged. "They should be back soon."

Cid nodded and glanced around the room as he lit another cigarette. "Where is old Chocobo Head anyway?"

"He and Zell are on patrol," explained Leon. "There isn't any need for the patrols to come into the town, so they've been on the outskirts. They should be back around nine."

"Oh, that reminds me," Tifa turned to the former SeeD. "I can start patrolling again next week; just don't put me and Rude out at the same time if it can be helped."

"Of course not," replied steel-eyed man as he nodded once.

"Aw, you're not going to have Cloud and Reno baby-sit so they can play house?" complained Zack with a smirk. "You know Mail will be safe…those two won't let anything near him."

The mahogany-eyed woman chuckled, "I don't doubt that."

"While we're speaking of protective godfathers," Aerith glanced up at Zack, "Yuffie split up with us in The Bailey because she noticed Riku and Axel up there."

"I was wondering where he had disappeared to," commented Leon as he started rolling up the chart they had been looking over.

"Yeah, me too," agreed Zack. "He usually pops in by now…Not that I'm complaining. It's about time he started having more fun."

Leon nodded, "He's been a lot happier lately. I think-"

The Gunblade wielder halted mid-sentence as a loud bang cut through the air. Before the sound could be identified, Zack had Aerith on the ground, Leon had pulled Tifa down, and Quistis knocked Cid out of his chair and motioned him to remain low. As the noise grew in intensity, sounding much like rapid gunfire, everyone remained completely still.

"That sounds like it's coming from The Bailey," Zack stated in concern, still holding Aerith. His muscles twitched as though he were about to move, "Stay here, Aer. I'll-"

"No Zack," Leon's voice was quiet but firm as he glanced at the raven-haired man from where he kneeled over Tifa. "I'll go check on Riku. If I don't-"

"Squall, stay down," Quistis ordered before she moved, still in a crouch, to the window. The shades had been drawn in the failing light of the evening earlier, but she peeked through the small gap between the shade and the wall.

"What do you see, Quistis?" asked Leon quietly.

The blonde woman sighed and rolled her eyes before standing as she replied, "Its fireworks."

The scarred man stood and crossed to the window as well. A flash of purple light surrounded the edges of the shades.

Zack stood as well, but helped Aerith up before walking to the door and stepping outside. The others followed and glanced up as another bang was heard just as the sky filled with teal sparks.

"Where the hell are they coming from?" questioned Cid. "I didn't hear anything about fireworks tonight…"

"Wait…isn't this a holiday weekend?" asked Tifa. "Maybe someone else decided to take some initiative around here."

"Fireworks displays aren't allowed unless approved by a committee member," stated Quistis.

"Uh guys…it still sounds like it's coming from The Bailey," commented Zack as he and Aerith turned for the named area.

When the group arrived, the first thing they saw was Yuffie, bouncing around with a sparkler in her hand. Gippal was standing near the wall, watching the hyperactive woman in amusement. Riku was sitting on the ledge, looking slightly apprehensive but enjoying himself nonetheless as Axel lit another firecracker, aiming it over the Great Maw as the others had been.

"What did I tell you the first time I lit a fire near you, Ku?" The redhead was saying with a charming smile. "I'm in control and I won't let it hurt anyone. Just trust me, okay?"

"Okay, okay…I know," Riku smiled and glanced up as the firecracker burst into a shimmering golden star overhead. "You know what you're doing…do you honestly think I would be sitting here if I didn't t- Er, hi everyone…"

Axel, Gippal, and Yuffie all turned to see Zack, Aerith, Leon, Quistis, Cid, and Tifa standing several feet away. The elder group moved closer once the younger group noticed them.

Yuffie let out a small 'eep' before jumping the staircase that led to The Postern and taking off at a run.

"Well that woman definitely knows when to bail," commented Gippal with a smirk as he watched the petite ninja disappear between a couple of buildings. "I like that quality in a girl."

Axel snorted and rolled his yes. "Just ask her out already, man."

"Where's the flair in that?" responded the blonde man. "You have to-"

Riku cleared his throat softly, but pointedly enough that the other young men stopped speaking and looked at him. "Er, guys…?" He motioned towards the others. "They look sort of pissed and I think they want to talk to us…hence why Yuffie bailed."

"Oh right," Axel turned his attention to the others. "So, what's going on?"

Quistis was the first to find her voice. "You do know that you aren't-"

"Hold it," interrupted the redhead. "If this is about needing a committee members approval for this, than I already have it. The area has been secured and deemed safe and if you look toward The Borough, you'll see that many of our residents were enjoying the show."

The group glanced over and could make out some people gathered below and on the nearby rooftops.

The emerald-eyed man motioned to the spot Yuffie had last been seen. "I even had a committee member present…and the second in command of the maintenance and repair department too."

Gippal smiled at the elders. "There isn't anything here or down there that these things can damage. The fireworks Riku got aren't even that powerful."

Zack was clearly trying not to smile, "That Riku got…?" He looked at his godson, who smiled and shrugged lightly.

"Yeah, the shopkeeper wouldn't sell any to Axel…"

Cid snorted, "Wonder why that is…"

"It was all my idea though," offered Axel. "I actually had a hell of a time talking Ku into it…you know how he is with fire."

Zack, Aerith, and Leon all nodded. Cid, Tifa, Gippal, and Quistis looked slightly confused, but did not say anything.

Riku approached Leon and slipped his arms around the man's neck. The Gunblade wielder automatically wrapped his arms around the teen's waist. "Are you mad? We made sure it wouldn't-"

"I know," the steel-eyed man interrupted. He smirked slightly, "Of course, I'm going to have change committee _member _to _head of department _to approve this sort of thing, and have a talk with a certain ninja…"

"Hey, give her some credit. She handled it well," commented the turquoise-eyed with a grin. "She had me, Axel, and Gippal check everything out and assure her nothing bad would happen first."

"Then why did she run as soon as we showed up?" asked Zack.

"Because she knew we would assume she hadn't and she technically was supposed to talk to me and Leon before giving it the okay," replied Quistis. "Although, she did have very qualified people check it out for her…I'm impressed."

"Yeah," agreed Tifa with a nod. "We should give her some more responsibility around here."

Axel, Gippal, and Riku all smirked. Leon quirked an eyebrow at his young lover; "Do I want to know?"

"We'll let her fill you in," replied the silvered teen, "But she actually has plans for what she'd like to do."

"And it's perfect for her," added Gippal. Axel nodded his agreement as he lit a cigarette.

"I think all of you deserve a bit more credit than we've been giving you," stated Aerith with a warm smile.

"Yeah," Axel grinned, "Soon we'll be ready to take over for you veterans…"

Zack, Quistis, and Tifa chuckled, Cid snorted, and Leon glared slightly.

"I wouldn't go that far," commented Aerith, still smiling. "Let's see how you are in a few years, after you've all graduated from college…"

"And we aren't exactly ready for Medicare yet, kid," muttered Cid as he lit a cigarette.

"Sure thing, pops," murmured Riku with a smirk.

"Shut it, Jailbait…you can't even buy cigarettes yet," replied the Gummi mechanic.

"Not that he's going to start smoking anyway," added Zack.

"Of course not," agreed Riku with a smile as he leaned against Leon.

"So does this mean we can finish lighting these?" asked Axel as he indicated the remaining fireworks.

"Hey, who killed the show?" asked Reno as he and Rude approached. The bald man was carrying a small bundle of green blankets, from which a tiny shock of red hair was poking out. "Mail was having a good time, yo."

"He wasn't scared?" asked Tifa as Rude joined her. He shook his head with a small smile and the mahogany-eyed woman kissed him and then looked over their son.

"Are you kidding? Every time the sky lit up, he squealed like stepped on mice," stated Reno.

"There's a lovely mental image," commented Quistis with her nose scrunched slightly.

"I'm going to go find Yuffie and tell her it's safe to come back now," stated Gippal.

"Yeah, take your time," Axel smirked and wagged his eyebrows suggestively. The blonde man shoved his shoulder with a grin before leaving in the direction the hyperactive ninja had earlier.

The sound of rapidly approaching footsteps reached the group just before Cloud and Zell rushed over. "What the hell?" The ex-SOLDIER looked over the others quickly. "Is everything okay? No one said anything about fireworks tonight…"

"Spiky panicked," stated Zell as Quistis greeted him with a quick kiss. "He thought it was a diversion for an attack or something…my guess was a prank."

"And it never occurred to you to call one of us on your cell?" questioned Zack with a smirk and an arched eyebrow.

Cloud glared as Reno walked over to stand by his side and drape an arm over his shoulders. "Well as long as we're all here, why don't we light the rest of those things, yo?"

The others glanced around the group for any signs of complaint; Leon shrugged without releasing Riku when none came. He glanced at Axel, "Go ahead."

"Alright;" the redhead smirked as Cid approached him and held a firecracker still for him to light.

The group settled comfortably around The Bailey to enjoy the pyrotechnics.


	279. Test

_Prompt: Test_

_Given by: disneytiger_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII; Post-Redeem & Last Resort_

_Pairings: Referenced Zack/Aerith, Leon/Riku, Zell/Quistis, Post-Sephiroth/Hilargi (OC)_

* * *

"Why the hell does a college this small even have a placement test?" stated Axel as he and Riku joined Yuffie and Gippal in a local café. Riku slid into the booth across form the two already seated and Axel sat down beside him.

"To know whether they can start you with the standard classes or if you need the special lower ones," explained Gippal. "So I'm guessing you need to start with some 95s and they're ready to give Ku his BA right now."

Yuffie stifled a laugh as the blonde man received twin glares from across the table.

"For your information, I received very good scores," stated the redhead. "I didn't last as long as I did in the Organisation by being stupid or lazy."

"I was only kidding," Gippal waved a hand idly and then turned to Riku, his visible eyebrow furrowing in the process. "You okay?"

Emerald eyes turned to look at the silver-haired teen. "Aren't you supposed to be nervous _before _the test?"

"I was but," Riku shook his head, "Never mind…it's stupid."

"Oh come on," Yuffie smiled at the boy. "We're used to stupid."

"True," the turquoise-eyed teen agreed with a grin as the other young men chuckled. "Okay, It's just that…when I took the high school proficiency exam, no one considered it possible that I wouldn't pass with flying colours. Zack planned a little celebration for just the two of us, Squall got me a book for one of the college classes I was interested in as a congratulations gift, and Aerith even told her mom I was graduating and gave me the phone so she could go on about how proud she was. Even Cid was already bringing up the importance of going to college and not just being sucked into the reconstruction project. I appreciate that they care and have such faith in me, but…"

"But it also puts a lot of pressure on you since you're just expected to be brilliant," finished Gippal.

"Yeah," Riku nodded. "I know I'm smarter than most people my age, but I'm not as impressive as my dad was at my age or anything like that. I'm fine with that, but I just don't want to let everyone down because that's what they expected."

"That's not stupid," Axel idly draped an arm over his friend's shoulders. "I know how stressed you were about your major since everyone expected you to go into computers, but you have to remember-"

"Wait…you didn't pick computers?" questioned Yuffie in surprise. "Why haven't you corrected anyone when we all assumed you would be?"

"I think that brings us back to the pressure he feels to meet everyone's expectations of him, Yuffie," stated the blue-eyed man beside the petite ninja.

"Oh…" The hyperactive woman looked at the silver-haired teen thoughtfully. "Everyone just figured you wanted to get into computers since you're so good with them and you didn't want to but you felt badly about wanting something else…is that it?"

The turquoise-eyed boy nodded. "Yeah, pretty much…"

"Well Cid and Leon are more than capable of handling the town's central computer system without you…they managed before any of us even knew about you," stated the blonde man.

"Yeah, and now that Zexy's back, I'm sure he'll be able to whip any of you with his skills," added Axel. "He helped build the damn system after all."

"You should do what you want anyway," agreed Yuffie with a smile. "So what _are _you majoring in?"

"Healing," replied the turquoise-eyed teen. "I always thought the way my mom helped people was amazing and as much as I hated seeing her ill, I liked learning how to help her and knowing I was doing something to make her better. And I keep having all these ideas when I hear Aerith talking about issues with the new healing centre…" The boy shrugged.

"Aw, so you're following in your mom's footsteps," stated Axel with a grin, with one arm still around Riku's shoulders and the other indicating the sky outside the window beside the silvered teen. "Just think, somewhere in the Lifestream she's smiling down on you right now…and now she going to find your dad for a well deserved 'na-na, na-na, naa, na'."

All four students laughed for a moment before Gippal spoke again. "Hey, you know who you should talk to about all of this pressure stuff?" Riku looked at him curiously and he continued, "Quistis."

Axel arched an eyebrow, "Why Quistis? I think Zack or Squall would understand just fine."

"Yeah, but Quistis has actually been there," replied the blonde man.

"Oh, I totally forgot about that," Yuffie smiled and looked at the redhead and the silver-haired teen across the table. "Quistis was known as child prodigy in SeeD. She graduated at fifteen and became an instructor."

"Wait," the emerald-eyed man smirked, "So when Squall, Zell, and Irvine signed up and met her, she wasn't a trainee with them…she was their instructor? Oh, I am _so _teasing them about that."

"She even had groupies amongst the trainees," added Gippal with a matching smirk. "I believe they were dubbed Trepees or something like that, by the other SeeDs."

"So why did she leave?" asked Riku. "Was it just to come home when the world's got straightened out?"

"No," the blonde man scratched the cheekbone below his eye patch. "She didn't like being an instructor. She wanted to be able to act her age and just go out with the other SeeDs."

"…And she had some trouble getting some of the trainees to respect her authority," Yuffie interjected. "I think it was just that she didn't want to, since she can lead just as well as Squall or Zack when she decides to take over."

Gippal nodded, "I've always suspected that too." He looked at Riku again, "The only one she explained it to was your boyfriend…well, she might have told Zell about it once they started going out. Anyway, she stopped being an instructor and went back to being a normal SeeD just after he and his buddies made SeeD. I don't know whether she was demoted for the leadership issue or whether she arranged it herself though."

"Squall was actually the last person she escorted on the final practical exam," added Yuffie. "She and Ellone were friends already, so I think she was sort of watching out for Squall for her."

"Huh, Squall rarely talks about those days," commented Riku thoughtfully. "I should talk to some of the others about all of it…especially Quistis."

"Mm-hmm," Axel nodded, "And you don't see anyone bothered that she doesn't take a different position than where she is."

"Well why would they?" questioned Yuffie as some penguins arrived at the table with their drinks. She smiled and watched them serve as she continued. "Quistis does a great job as Head of Public Relations and Human Resources, and there are more than enough qualified people around here to handle defences…plus, she said that Squall can call on her if he ever needs her, like during an emergency or even just for advice."

Gippal nodded as he took a sip of his drink. "She is good at keeping track of people and their skills…she's the one who suggested that I work under Cid, since she noticed how good I was with machines. Now, Cid has already said he wants me to take over his department once I graduate and things settle a little more…he just wants to work in his garage and focus on Gummies and other aircrafts."

"And if that makes him happy, than that's all we want him to do," added Yuffie with a decisive nod toward Riku. "We know he'll be willing to do more if we need him, just like Quistis."

"And just like you," interjected Axel. "You know Zack, Aerith, Squall, and Cid are going to want you to do what you want to do…they might be surprised, but they won't be disappointed. If anyone else is, to hell with them, you have us."

"Yeah, what more could you want?" asked Gippal with a smirk as Yuffie and Axel nodded.

"Okay, okay…you can put the egos away, I see your point." Riku smiled at his friends. "Thanks guys. You're right…I'll tell Zack and Aerith when I get home and Squall when I see him tonight…I should have said something sooner. Everyone else I'll just tell after I start classes or when it comes up."

"Yeah, there's no need to make a general announcement and make you even more nervous," commented Axel with a wink; "Best to just stick to the important ones for now."

"Sounds like a plan," Gippal held up his glass in a mock-toast. His blue eye then turned to Axel. "Okay, so Riku's majoring in Healing, I'm in mechanics and engineering, Yuffie's in martial arts and teaching, what are you majoring in? Pyrotechnics and flirting are the only things I've seen you show your talents with…"

Yuffie and Riku chuckled and the emerald-eyed man shrugged.

"I haven't actually chosen one yet," admitted the redhead. "But I was thinking of going into public safety or law...like a public trustee or a fire-fighter or something."

Riku nodded slowly and grinned, "Considering your duties in the Organisation and your passion and loyalty, I think you would do in something like that."

The fiery young man smiled and nodded. "Thanks, that's what I was thinking too."

"While the idea of you being a fire-fighter is pretty funny," added Gippal with a smirk, "They aren't going to find anyone else who can control fire better than you can."

Yuffie nodded, "That's the truth. And if you went with public trustee, you definitely aren't going to let your charges get screwed…although I don't think that's much of a problem right now."

"Yeah, but the government on this world hasn't been entirely re-established yet." Axel drank some of his soda and played with a lock of Riku's hair as he appeared to think. "From what I've heard about Ansem the Wise and what I saw in the Organisation, I think most people who aim for a position of power are also the ones who are most easily corrupted by it…it'll probably take a couple more years for something like that to seriously come up though."

"We need to talk one of the others into running for at least some sort of office once that happens," said Yuffie. "I know we're probably going to get stuck with someone like Seymour, Vayne, or Rufus as the head honcho…but Squall, Quistis, or Zack should totally run for governor or something."

"Yeah, but for some reason the ones who could pull off leadership the best never seem to want to," stated the redhead. "Squall could take over here and would do great, but he doesn't want to; Quistis could have ended up heading SeeD but it wasn't for her; Zexy could have run the order more than efficiently but he never made a grab for power himself…"

Axel suddenly smirked wickedly. Riku arched an eyebrow, Yuffie looked puzzled, and Gippal smirked and shook his head. "Alright…let's hear it."

"I just figured out which ball we need to get rolling," stated the emerald-eyed man, still smirking as he tightened the arm the had around Riku's shoulders. "I just have no idea how we're going to talk _them _into it…"

Gippal grinned as he draped one of his own arms around Yuffie's shoulders, "Well between the four of us, I think we'll figure out something. Tell us the plan so far and we'll work out the details."

Riku shook his head and smirked slightly, "You guys should just try to run for office once you're experienced enough for it."

"I know," agreed Yuffie with a grin and a nod. "The four of us are going to end up ruling this world one day whether we like it or not at this rate."

"Are you going to hear me out, or not?" asked Axel.

Yuffie and Riku looked at one another again. The hyperactive ninja shrugged and Riku rolled his eyes before smiling at Axel, "Alright…let's hear it."

As Axel's grin grew enough to outshine the Cheshire Cat's, Riku thought that, if nothing else, at least he had some loyal and very entertaining friends. Perhaps life was going to be much less difficult than he had made it out to be.

…Assuming his friends allowed that.


	280. Veins

_Prompt: Veins _

_Given by: disneytiger_

_Setting: Hallow Bastion; Pre-KH_

_Pairing: None_

_Author's note: This is not a self-mutilation story. Read the whole thing before you make any comments that I will most likely roll my eyes over. I'm not terribly pleased with this one anyway. Thank you and enjoy._

* * *

Zexion sat on a branch in one of the few trees that remained in the castle's gardens. The limb he chose was wider than he was and just high enough, that most of the others would not be able to see him up there unless they actually looked up, which he had noticed they were not prone to do unless they were actually looking for something above them.

The young Nobody did not expect any of them to come looking for him and if they did, they would most likely not search the tree. With his short and slight form, they tended to assume him weak, which he supposed he was but he was also light, nimble, and quick…and more than capable of hefting his own weight up a tree.

Satisfied that he was mainly out of sight to anyone he would not want to see him, the little non-being removed the leather gloves that Xemnas expected them all to wear for some reason, and pushed up the sleeves of his equally uniform-like coat. Then, thin fingers slid over pale wrists, following the path of clear blue veins.

While he managed to hold onto nearly all of his Other's memories, and therefore felt sixteen, as Ienzo had just turned the age just before Zexion was created. The Nobody itself, however, had only existed for a few months. That was long enough for him to grow tired of the others' conflicting theories however.

Some made it sound as though the heart they lost was the physical one, which pumped blood through the body.

_If such were the case, why is there still blood flowing through these veins?_

The blue-haired Nobody took a small, folding knife from his pocket and glanced about quickly before opening it and slicing a clean, deep fissure into the palm of his other hand. Immediately, and as expected, the wound began to bleed.

Zexion watched the palm of his slightly curled hand fill with the bright red fluid until it began to leak over, making sure to hold it away from himself so it stained the tree and not his clothes. He did not want to have to explain bloodstains to the others.

The boy leaned back against the trunk of the tree, trying to ignore the hot pain in his injured hand as he looked up at the sky.

_There's one theory shot._

The other, more popular, theory was that the heart they had lost was the metaphysical one, considered the basis of emotional life.

_If that were the case, then why do I still feel?_

The slate-eyed teen thought back on the few friends he could remember having, his Other's difficult childhood, the experiments he was subjected to as Ansem's apprentice…in turn he felt lonely, bitter, angry, and humiliated. He was intelligent and sane, he knew these were not memories that he was mistaking for emotions. They were the real thing.

Then he thought of more recent memories…of being frustrated by Xigbar's poor manners; of being unnerved by Xemnas' rants; of being upset by Xaldin's teasing; of being ashamed at being used for more of Vexen's experiments; of being comforted by Lexaeus' silent assurance; and of being frightened by Saïx, the new Nobody Xemnas had discovered.

Zexion sighed and squeezed his eyes close. These were definitely _his_ emotions from _his _experiences…not memories.

…_And there goes the other theory._

The little non-being looked at his injured hand. The bleeding had slowed as the blood began to clot. He pulled an antiseptic wipe and some bandages from his other pocket and started cleaning the wound, still thinking on his current dilemma.

"There you are." A deep voice suddenly stated from the teen's left. Zexion looked over to see Lexaeus approaching him. The larger male was one of the few Organisation members who cold easily see the branch the youngest member was sitting on.

_Damn tall people…_

Number V's usually neutral expression took on an edge of concern as The Silent Hero stopped directly beside the Cloaked Schemer. He indicated the boy's injured hand. "What happened?"

"I've ruled out both Xemnas and Vexen's theories," replied the slate-eyed boy without preamble as he returned to bandaging his hand.

The large Nobody shook his head slightly. "You still won't use a Health Potion?"

"I'll use one when I need to, just as before," countered Zexion as he pulled his sleeves down again. "I don't see why most of the others use one for every scratch and bruise they acquire…it's completely unnecessary."

Lexaeus nodded that the younger had a point and then carefully grabbed the little Nobody by the waist when he saw him swing his legs over the side of the branch. Before Zexion could jump off, the large brunette easily lifted him and set him down on the ground.

Number VI nodded his thanks and put his gloves back on as the two began walking without preamble. Surprisingly, Lexaeus broke the silence first. "Have you begun your own theory then?"

"Mm-hmm, although I still need to work out some details," replied the blue-haired non-being. "Ansem and Xehanort had discovered that three elements were needed for life before we ever joined the project: those being a heart, a body, and a soul. Everything we've discovered since has concurred."

The Silent Hero nodded and waited for the boy to pick up his train of thought again. Clearly, he was thinking as he spoke, which was not uncommon for the boy. "This made me wonder why the heart that we are lacking is either considered the muscle in our chests or the centre of emotional life. Nobodies are the bodies and soul left over when the heart is stolen by the Heartless, and wouldn't those definitions fall under the body or soul?"

The brunette blinked and looked down at the smaller being beside him. "You're right…those theories are flawed. What other options are there?"

"The life-force," answered the youngest Organisation member. "Some ancient races believed it was a fragment of the soul that remained in the body when the rest had passed…the part that tied them to mortality."

Again, the elder Nobody nodded. "I have heard of that. It would explain why the heartless who have gathered more hearts have a stronger life force. So we are the body and the larger part of the soul…the part that is meant to join the Lifestream when our bodies die."

"Yes, that could explain why we retained our memories, personalities…and emotions." The teen's visible slate-coloured eye glanced at the large man beside him.

Lexaeus paused and looked down at number VI. "You disagree that our feelings are simply based off memories…"

"The mere fact that everyone says that pisses me off," replied the teenager as he crossed his arms over his chest. "That's not based off one of Ienzo's memories…that's how _I_ feel about it. Can you honestly tell me that you feel nothing other than what Eleaus felt about things...And what about new situations? With the exception of Xemnas, I've seen each of the others react to something in a way that does not have any basis in memory."

The large Nobody turned to face the younger as he silently gazed over the decrepit garden the two were conversing in, clearly making sure none of the others were around.

"No one else is within earshot…I can tell by their scents," stated Zexion, still watching the larger male. "I wouldn't be having this conversation with you if any of them were around."

"Good," commented number V as he glanced back at the castle. "Don't talk about any of this in front of them…Xemnas and Vexen won't react well to having their theories so openly disregarded."

"I know…" The slate-eyed teen watched the elder's face carefully. Through the stony demeanour, he could still detect a hint of warmth in the other's eyes and a firm set to his jaw that he always had when he felt that he needed to be protective of something.

Through the entire time that he had existed as such, Zexion had never smiled. He felt no happiness and therefore had no reason to…not that Ienzo had been prone to either, but it was still different. At that moment, however, the young Nobody felt happy. Eleaus had been a good friend and tended to be somewhat watchful of Ienzo, and Zexion was glad to finally know that his and Lexaeus' relationship was not so different. It was good to have a friend again.

"I think the others changed more than we did," stated Lexaeus as he returned his focus to the little Nobody before him. "Some more than others…Xigbar still sounds like Braig, and Even was cold to begin with. Perhaps those with a stronger personality retained more of it. Or maybe their souls were just stronger."

"So you think I may be onto something?" questioned Zexion.

Lexaeus nodded. "I would still like to fix our Others' mistakes as well as we can."

"So would I," agreed the smaller Nobody.

"So we're staying with the others then?" asked The Silent Hero.

The Cloaked Schemer grinned slightly. "Yes. I'll place my hope with the Organisation for now."

The two friends turned and continued walking side by side. "If we gain too many more members, there might be problems within our ranks anyway," commented Lexaeus.

Zexion nodded, "We'll burn that bridge when we cross it."

Lexaeus made a small sound of amusement. "In the meantime, don't go cutting yourself to prove a theory again, all right?"

The Cloaked Schemer frowned and looked at his now throbbing hand. "Yeah, that wasn't one of my brighter ideas. If anyone asks, I cut myself climbing the tree, okay?"

"Of course," replied The Silent Hero.

None of the others asked. Whether that was because they _could _not care or simply _did _not care, was the question.


	281. DDR

_Prompt: Dance Dance Revolution_

_Given by: disneytiger_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Leon/Riku, Zack/Aerith, Pre-Gippal/Yuffie, Implied Post-Sephiroth/OC_

* * *

"Yeah, Gippal; you rock!" Yuffie cheered her friend on enthusiastically from beside the small platform he was 'dancing' on inside Huey, Dewy, and Louie's new arcade.

"Come on, Axel, you can take him," Riku offered from the other side of the gaming machine with a grin on his face. Enkeli gave out a happy bark from beside the teen.

"See, I told you this could count as a competitive sport," commented Axel while he and Gippal focused on the screens before them. "It's physical, there's a definite winner, and we even have cheerleaders now…"

"Yeah, and I'm even better than you at attracting them," replied the blonde man.

The redhead snorted; "What? I have one more than you, in case you didn't notice."

"True," conceded the blue-eyed man with a smirk, "But mine's hotter than either of yours."

"Is not," countered Axel, ignoring the way Riku laughed at the childish comeback. "You just have no eye for men."

"Hmm, that must've been the one I lost then," Gippal responded, earning him a giggle from Yuffie.

"Maybe if you saw him looking more like a girl," commented Yuffie as she dug something from her pocket. "Here, look at this photo of us on Halloween."

"I thought Squall confiscated that," stated Riku as Yuffie held up the photo before Gippal, who glanced at it and stumbled immediately.

"Oops," the hyperactive ninja pulled the photo back. "Sorry Gippal." She looked at Riku as she put the photo back into her pocket. "Well he confiscated the one he saw, but that wasn't my only copy."

"How do I always end up befriending the fan girls?" questioned the silver-haired boy with a roll of his eyes. Enkeli nuzzled his hand affectionately and he smiled as he pat the dog's head. Then, he returned his focus to Axel. "Hey, he almost has as many fumbles as you do now…come on Axel!"

"You're still winning Gippal," cheered Yuffie. "You can do it!"

"How long is this damn song?" questioned the redhead.

Gippal only smirked, so Riku answered; "It's almost over."

Sure enough, the song ended a few seconds later and Gippal was declared the winner of that round.

"Okay, it's our turn now," Yuffie announced as she and Riku took their places on the small platform.

The two older males stepped back to watch their friends. Enkeli moved to stand beside Axel, who scratched his head absently as both watched the silvered teen. Since Yuffie and Riku were playing for fun more than competition, they chose a relatively slower pattern.

"They're pretty good," Axel commented. He tilted his head slightly. While they were hitting the marks just fine, both were also swaying their hips and heads along with the music. "You know, I've never actually seen anyone _dance _while playing this before…"

The blonde man nodded, "Yeah, same here. You know, I think I see your point about Ku now. He's definitely pretty from the back…"

"Of course between the hair and the hips, you're probably just seeing him as a girl," stated the redhead.

"True," agreed the blue-eyed man. He turned his attention to Yuffie and grinned. "I still prefer Yuffie to Ku, though…even after seeing that photo, which I have to admit, is pretty damn hot."

"Oh yeah," agreed the emerald-eyed man with a grin. "I got a copy of that from her after I moved here. They both look good, but I still say Ku's hotter."

"We can hear you know," stated Yuffie without pausing in the game. "It really isn't fair to compare us to each other; we have totally different looks…and equipment."

"Yeah, and stop checking out our asses," added Riku, who also had not bothered to divert his attention from the game's screen and music. Enkeli gave a small grumble that sounded like agreement.

"Sorry," Gippal shrugged as Axel smirked. "We can't help it."

"We'll keep the commentary to ourselves and talk about something else though, okay?" added the redhead. Enkeli returned to wagging his tail beside the tall man.

"We'd appreciate that," replied the hyperactive ninja.

"Have you spoken to Zexion yet?" questioned the blonde man, who was still admiring Yuffie.

The emerald-eyed man likewise was still watching their friends. "No, I haven't seen him yet, but it doesn't matter. We'd have to get the others to agree before he'd even consider it. I can tell you right now that he won't agree to anyone having as much power as Ansem the Wise or Xemnas' Other had…he really prefers organisations or groups in charge over any individual."

That's actually good," commented the blue-eyed man. "Considering what Ansem the Wise and Xehanort did, not to mention Mr. Shinra or Dr. Hojo…Any word on making sure Rufus Shinra doesn't make a grab for power over in Midgar?"

"Oh, I talked to Vincent," Yuffie chimed in, again without ceasing in her game. "Reeve will totally the position of Governor in Midgar if Zexion wants to give it to him, and I almost have Vincent talked into taking an official position under him. It looks like Rufus is rebuilding Shin-Ra," She paused to glance at Riku in concern when he stumbled beside her. "But don't worry…with Reeve as the head honcho and everybody else knowing how they are now, it won't be able to become what it did before."

Axel nodded and kept his gaze on the silver-haired teen. Gippal smiled at the hyperactive ninja, "Good job, Yuffie."

"As always," replied the petite woman, her usual smile back in place.

"What about Esthar or Balamb?" questioned Gippal.

Axel shrugged; "I don't know anything about them or who is even over there…"

"Squall's ex and her dad are basically running Esthar right now," offered Yuffie. "A couple of his old friends are over there too. They'd probably be willing to take the official positions when it comes to it…Rinoa's dad used to be a military official of some sort, so he probably won't even have to fight for it."

"Ellone, that's Squall's sister, is in Balamb, along with Squall's dad and a couple of his friends who have been fixing the place up," stated Riku. While he was still playing, he obviously was not as into the game as he had been before the turn of the conversation. "It sounds like his dad's not the brightest, but Ellone's great and together, they've all been doing very well."

"Cool, so would Ellone be able to take over officially or at least recommend someone for the job?" asked the redhead.

"Most likely," the silver-haired teen replied confidently. He and Yuffie stepped off the platform to join their friends once the song ended. The turquoise-eyed boy did not even acknowledge that he had won. Enkeli moved to his owner's side right away. "From a personality perspective, imagine an older, female Squall with no social issues and you basically have Ellone."

"I think she's actually where he got his tendency to take care of the people around him from," stated Yuffie. "She acts like a big sister to just about everyone when she visits. Hey, let's get some hot dogs and nachos while we're taking a break…'

The other three nodded and the group headed toward the front of the building, where Zell had set up a concession stand. Gippal walked ahead with Yuffie while Axel strolled behind with Riku and Enkeli.

"Hey, you okay?" questioned the redhead as he nudged the teen.

"Yeah, I'm just," The turquoise-eyed boy shook his head. "I just don't like the way everything has to change, but it does…I'm glad you came up with an idea to prevent people who shouldn't be in a position of power here from gaining it. You do think Zexion will agree to this, right?"

"He won't like coming forward and he won't like having to take up his Other's position," admitted Axel. "If it were just us asking, he'd probably tell us to go to hell and then give us directions when we persisted. Nevertheless, we have a few good cards in our hand, so I think we'll be able to convince him. Plus, it would only be for a little while before he set up his 'successors' and then he could disappear again and get back to Sephiroth. As long as we either get leaders that agree or that he'll want in the position enough to talk them into it, that is…any luck with Squall, by the way?"

The silvered teen flushed slightly and smirked, "He has a counter offer…"

The emerald-eyed man arched an eyebrow, "Seriously? I thought for sure he'd turn us down flat the first time we asked. What is it?"

"Cid -I mean the old Headmaster, not _Cid_, Cid- would take the position of Governor since he has the experience for it, and Squall will take the position as Deputy Governor." Riku smiled at his friend's confused expression. "Cid is sort of a weak leader, but he doesn't show it…he just relies heavily on those below him who _are _strong leaders."

"Oh," the redhead smirked and nodded, "So in essence, Squall would govern the place, but Cid would work as a mouthpiece, who could make snap decisions if needed to, and prevent Squall from having to actually deal with the people. That is brilliant…I can't believe he suggested it."

"He didn't," admitted the turquoise-eyed teen. "I came up with it and he agreed."

Now both of the redhead's eyebrows shot up, "Do I want to know how you pulled that one off?"

Riku flushed further, "Knowing you, probably; but I'm not telling anyway."

Axel released a loud barking laugh that made the seventeen year old beside him bow his head further than usual while Enkeli tilted his head curiously and hesitantly wagged his tail. "Oh man," The emerald-eyed man shook his head slowly, grinning like the Cheshire Cat. "It's about time you realised you have the ability to wrap that man around your finger…"

"Well I wouldn't have persuaded him if he _really _didn't want to…" Riku murmured, with his head still down.

The redhead smiled and draped an arm over his friend's shoulders; "And that is part of what makes you two so perfect for each other."

"Does that mean you'll stop flirting with me in front of him?" questioned the teenager.

"Of course not; where's the fun in that?" replied Axel with a smirk. "Besides, we wouldn't want him to think he can take his ownership of you for granted now, would we?"

The silvered teen rolled his eyes, "It's no wonder Zack and Aerith like you so much..."

"Hey guys, hurry up!" called Yuffie.

"Yeah, Axel stop hitting on Riku so he can walk properly and get over here," added Gippal.

"Hey, I'm not the reason he can't walk right!" shouted Axel.

"You know," commented Riku, "It's a good thing I'm not easily embarrassed by those around me."

"Yeah, we'll have to send Sora, Kairi, and Selphie 'thank you' notes sometime for breaking you in," agreed Axel.

Riku grinned as they joined their other friends in line and Zell greeted them with a smile, asking how Leon was doing.

He decided that even with the uncertainties, life was definitely better than he had expected.


	282. Looking Glass

_Prompt: Looking Glass_

_Given by: Lapse - Raevn_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII, Post-Last Resort_

_Pairing: Post-Sephiroth/OC, Post-Vincent/Lucrecia, Post-Sephiroth/Ienzo; Zack/Aerith, Leon/Riku_

* * *

Sephiroth found the small teen intriguing. The boy was clearly a master of shadows, yet he had made certain that the winged man was aware of his presence before he approached. In fact, the blue-haired teen had stopped just far enough away, clearly inviting the silvered man to close the distance between them or leave if he did not want to be bothered. This approach was certainly wise, but equally unusual. Most either avoided the silver-haired man or confronted him aggressively. The way this boy waited for him suggested neither were his intentions.

Sephiroth had a strong feeling that there was much more to this small teen than met the eye, however he was still confident that he could defeat the blue-haired adolescent, should the need arise. Allowing his single wing to remain exposed, the silver-haired man steadily approached the boy.

The boy turned to face Sephiroth before he ever should have been able to see or hear the man drawing near. Slate coloured eyes followed the winged man's movements until he was standing only a few feet away from the teen. The boy appeared somewhat tense, but relieved as well. His eyes moved over the much taller male as though he were checking for any change or sign of injury. That action confused the ex-SOLDIER.

Slowly, the slate-blue rose to meet feline-like eyes and the boy wore a smile, it was rather faint, but sincere. "Hello, Roth. I was beginning to worry that you wouldn't come."

"_Hello Roth." Sephiroth turned to see a boy around fourteen years old, with slate coloured hair and blue eyes. The boy was slightly out of breath, and looked very pleased to see the General. _

_The silver-haired man could not help but smile slightly. The teen was the last person to continue to look at him that way, as though he were still completely human…as though he were still completely safe. "I was beginning to worry that you wouldn't come, Ienzo."_

_The boy looked shocked and slightly offended by the comment. "Of course I came…I'm sorry I'm late. Master Ansem held me longer than I had hoped…"_

_Sephiroth frowned, for two reasons. One being that Ienzo only used the word 'held' when he was actually the test subject for Ansem's or one of the other apprentices' research as apposed to assisting them, and two, that the boy had only taken to referring to Ansem the Wise as 'Master Ansem' since Sephiroth had seen him less as his own episodes increased. Something had clearly occurred while Sephiroth was unable to help the teen…_

"Roth…are you all right?"

The One Winged Angel blinked as he pushed away the unbidden memory, or at least, that is what he assumed it was. He then looked over the boy before him, who was now watching him with an expression of concern. While the teen appeared to be a couple years older, and his hair and eyes had darkened somehow, it was clearly the same boy from the memory.

"Roth…?" The worry was beginning to creep into the teen's voice.

Sephiroth held the shorter male's gaze for a moment. The teen seemed calmed by this, although the ex-General could not say why. "Why have you sought me out now, Ienzo?"

What might have been a combination of disappointment and pain or possibly just anger and sadness, crossed the teen's eyes quickly before he turned his face away as he schooled his features. "I'm not him."

_Sephiroth slowly and deliberately continued moving until he trapped the little non-being and held him against the rock face. The teen looked up at him, surprising the former General by looking more disappointed than frightened. Although certain things had changed, the face and expression looked startlingly familiar. "Ienzo…"_

_The quivering form in his arms sobered again instantly as he shot a slight glare at the larger male. "Zexion; I'm not him…not quite."_

"_Zexion," The silvered man smirked ever so slightly as he tested the name. He decided that he liked it immediately. "Why have you come for me?" _

_The blue-haired boy looked sorrowful, but somewhat hopeful. Sephiroth wondered at the Nobody's show of emotions as the little non-being answered. "Because I thought maybe they're just as wrong about what you have become as what I have…"_

_The ex-SOLDIER had loosened his grip before he was even aware of the distant memories flittering through his mind. "Zexion, I think it's time we created some memories that feel like ours…"_

Sephiroth blinked again to find the little Nobody watching him curiously. The silvered man took in the strangely familiar sight of the teen. "Zexion, why do you continue to seek me out?"

The corner of the teen's mouth tilted up in the slightest hint of a smirk; "You're starting to remember already…it really is amazing."

That comment caught Sephiroth's attention. In particular, the word 'remember' did. His memories from his life before he was resurrected were rather hazy and few in-between. He recalled many battles, and duels against Cloud, as well as the final duel against Cloud, Zack, and that scrawny redheaded Turk. He recalled dying and then waking to Genesis and the gentle pull of Mother's cells. Sometimes one of them would tell him things and something like a memory would form, but that was not like what was happening now.

The problem was that he could not tell which the true memories were.

"Illusions can't affect all of the senses," the blue-haired teen commented, having clearly realised the older male's plight. "I can usually detect them by scent…Riku has the same talent, although it's far less developed."

"Riku…" that name was certainly familiar to the winged man.

"_Riku's safe," Zack looked forlorn but hopeful. "A King from another world is taking him and Dr. Akeru somewhere Shin-Ra, Dr. Hojo, and even we won't be able to find him. They'll wait there until you're better and all of this is settled…King Mickey will keep checking in, once this is over, he'll take us to them."_

_Sephiroth only nodded. He could still catch the lingering scent of his son's baby shampoo on the other SOLDIER. He hoped it would not be the last time._

"_I'm really going to miss him," stated Zack. He then offered the silver-haired man a small smile. "At least we still have each other, huh? And you know Ienzo isn't going to give up until he cures you either." _

_Again, Sephiroth nodded, this time he actually meant it. He smiled as best he could at the moment. "Yes, with both of your assistance, I'm sure we'll all be together again one day."_

_Zack's smile brightened considerably at his friend's assurance. "Of course we will. Now let's go find your odd little friend and get started…"_

"He's all right, Roth," Zexion stated once he must have realised that he could capture Sephiroth's attention again. "He's with Zack and some friends. He seems to have found his place."

"Zack…" Feline-like eyes blinked slowly before settling on the little Nobody again. "He's taking care of him." The winged man could not say where that knowledge came from, but as he said it, it sounded right.

The slate-eyed teen nodded once. "Zack found Riku nearly a year ago, while they were both searching for you. Zack's taken care of him ever since. You chose well when you decided to make him Riku's godfather."

Sephiroth tilted his head slightly. That sounded correct as well, however, he did not want to become too distracted by memory...or illusion. "I won't ask again. Why have you sought me out?"

"Because I want to help you, Roth," the blue-haired boy replied simply. "I think we can do better than before…if you'll allow it, of course."

The former General wondered if the teenager was destined or simply determined to do such, considering he could vaguely recall the little non-being trying to assist him in each of his incarnations. The issue he was having now was that the boy's motive was eluding him. "Why?"

A single blue eyebrow arched. "Because you're my friend…when you aren't her bitch, that is."

The last part was murmured under the teen's breath as he eyes flickered with frustration and upset, but the ex-SOLDIER still caught it all. He felt both fury and pride at the statement, and was not sure which seemed out of place. He eyed the boy over again as the teen sighed.

"Why don't you take some time to think about it?" commented Zexion. He slipped what appeared to be a paperback novel from his coat pocket.

Sephiroth summoned Masamune, not entirely sure why he felt threatened by a book, but deciding to follow his instincts that such a common could be dangerous in the teen's hands.

The slate-eyed Nobody made a sound that could have been a muffled laugh or a swallowed cry, before tossing the book to land at the winged man's feet. He paid no mind to the sword as he raised his eyes to meet the former General's.

"Keep it…and the bookmarker as well," commented Zexion as he prepared to disappear into the shadows. "My offer stands indefinitely. Find me if you want me."

The silvered man released his weapon as he picked up the book.

"_Through a looking glass...?" The silvered General glanced from the book to the thirteen-year-old who was reading it._

"_Yes, she goes through the looking glass and is stuck on the world that lies on the other side," repeated the boy. The young scientist suddenly lowered the book and turned to look at Sephiroth with a curious expression the man knew well by that point._

"_What is it, Ienzo?" he asked patiently, the corner of his lip turning up slightly. He generally enjoyed pondering the questions the boy asked._

"_Would you go through? If it were possible, of course…"_

_Feline-like eyes blinked. The SOLDIER had never been one for illusions and imagination, but that had been all the boy he was speaking to had had for years, so he thought on it a moment. Genesis and Angeal came to mind quickly. "I don't think that I would. What if I became confused in the mirror-world and couldn't recall which side I belonged on or who my true friends were?"_

"_I don't think I would either," stated the boy thoughtfully as he glanced over one of the books illustrations before turning his head to smile softly at his friend, "But if you did get confused, then I'd go to bring you back to the right side. Delusions don't usually faze me…"_

"_Well then, I suppose I have nothing to worry about." Sephiroth noticed that the boy's room contained no mirrors and realised that it never had. "I still wouldn't go through, though…"_

Sephiroth looked up from the novel to find that the teen had vanished, but he had a strong feeling that he had not gone very far. He guessed the little Nobody had wanted to give him some time with his thoughts.

The ex-SOLDIER appreciated that at the moment. He thought of what the small non-being had said, as well as the images and feeling he had stirred. Then, he thought of the things Mother and Genesis had been telling him and the notions and emotions that they stirred.

Feline-like eyes glanced at the book again as Sephiroth realised for the first time that he really was not sure what side of the looking glass he was occupying.

Remembering Zexion's parting words, he flipped the book open to find the poem of the Jabberwocky marked, but not by a strip of cloth or paper. Instead, he found a photograph of himself, from years before, with a raven-haired young man and a silver-haired infant.

Then he knew he needed to get back on the other side.


	283. Pocketsized

_Prompt: Pocket-sized_

_Given by: Lapse - Raevn_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: None_

_Author's note: It was either this or a rather odd story involving the Organisation in Wonderland...I'm glad I chose this one. Thank you for reading and enjoy._

* * *

Axel and Riku entered the newly opened Radian Garden Animal Shelter with Enkeli sticking close to them as they approached the front desk. A woman sitting there smiled at them and then glanced down at the dog by the silvered teen's side.

"Well isn't he a good boy?" stated the woman sweetly before looking at the two young men. "Don't worry; I'm sure we'll find him a home in no time."

"Huh?" Riku immediately stepped back and placed a hand on his dog's head as Axel looked at the woman as though she were insane.

"We aren't giving you his dog," he commented in a tone that matched his expression. "What the hell would make you assume that? The fact that he followed him in loyally?"

Now the woman appeared unsure of the redhead's sanity. "No, actually it was the fact that you boys came in an _animal shelter _with an _animal_…"

"Oh…right." Riku returned to his usual posture as Axel grinned at the woman behind the desk, making her appear even more unsure of his mental health.

"Actually, I'm here to adopt a dog and I wanted my friend here's opinion, and since my dog will have to get along with his dog, I figured we should bring him," explained the emerald-eyed man.

"He's up to date on all of his inoculations and everything," Riku added. "I brought the certificates to prove it if you need to see them…"

The woman glanced over the paperwork the teen handed her and then gave them back, her eyes moving between the two young men and the dog before she suddenly laughed. "Well, this is certainly new but it actually isn't a bad idea. Why don't you three head into the adoption kennel, and browse the dogs there? It's right through that door."

"Okay, thanks," Axel turned as Riku also thanked the woman and then they entered the kennel.

"Whoa, there are dozens of them," commented the silver-haired teen.

Axel nodded, "Well, I doubt everyone was able to bring their pets when the word was evacuated and the Heartless are usually more interested in human hearts, so they probably made a lot of strays during the nine years no one lived here."

"I doubt all that many lived though," replied Riku as they began walking down the first row of kennels. "At least they seem to be well cared for here."

"Yeah," the redhead agreed with a nod before he grinned and opened one of the kennels. "Hey look; they come in pocket-sized."

He held up a fawn-coloured Chiuaua in one hand, with his palm under its stomach and its face close to his own. The little dog was growling and snarling so hard that its entire body was shaking and all of its tiny teeth were exposed. Axel frowned, "No way; this thing reminds me way too much of Larxene."

Riku chuckled as his friend set the small dog down and they moved onto the next kennel. "It's a mop with eyes."

The redhead laughed, "Just think, I'd never have to sweep my apartment."

"But you'd have to bath your dog everyday," commented the turquoise-eyed teen.

"Good point." Axel replied before they moved down the aisle, looking at several other dogs. The redhead paused and moved closer to the chain-link door of the end kennel, where a large black dog was laying down. "This one seems okay."

The emerald-eyed man grabbed the hasp on the door to open it and before he could blink, the dog had charged, teeth bared and saliva dripping. Just as quickly, Riku grabbed the back of his friend's shirt and pulled him back against the opposite wall. Enkeli moved in front of the two young men and growled, but both grabbed his collar to prevent him from approaching the other dog.

Emerald eyes turned to meet turquoise. Both males shook their heads, "No."

A different woman than the one they had met at the front desk ran in, quickly asking if they were unharmed before she gave the dog a pill stuffed in a piece of cheese. "He'll just sleep it off now that he's had his medicine," she offered with a smile before leaving them to move onto the next row.

"Why is that one even in the adoption area already?" questioned the redhead. "Shouldn't they keep him with the ill dogs until they get him back on his medication schedule?"

"I know; what if someone brought in a little kid?" Riku agreed. He paused by a large Poodle. "Hey, how about this one…? They're supposed to be a very intelligent breed."

Axel looked over the dog, noting its intricate haircut, immaculate white fur, and neatly trimmed claws. "Ku, it's better groomed than we are. I don't know if it's going to be happy with following us around and hanging out at my place."

The silvered teen nodded and they both looked at Enkeli. "What do you think, boy?"

Looking every bit his father's son, the golden-furred hound approached the kennel, took a few sniffs, and then turned his head in disinterested, as did the poodle.

"I'd say that's a 'no'," commented Axel. Riku nodded his agreement again and they continued looking at the various dogs.

The silvered teen paused several kennels down, and Axel heard splashing coming from the kennel Riku looked into it while he approached. When he looked into it as well, his brows furrowed. "It's…and otter…?"

"It's a Dachshund," corrected Riku, watching the small dog as he jumped into a small plastic kiddie pool and twirled through the water looking very much like the animal Axel had mistaken it for. "…That _really _likes water."

As they watched, the dog jumped out of the pool to look at them, wagged its tail too quickly for it to be seen properly, and then dived back into the pool to twist through the water again. "I don't know if I should own a dog that likes water that much," commented the redhead.

"At least you know he'd have less chance of getting singed," replied the turquoise-eyed teen. Even Enkeli was watching the small hound as though it were insane. With a small chuckle, the silvered boy began walking again, with Enkeli and Axel following.

They passed a few more dogs, stopping to read the information on a few and petting several. When they turned onto the third and final row of kennels, Enkeli suddenly barked a happy reply to another dog's call and trotted ahead of them, wagging his tail high in the air.

The golden-furred hound looked back and barked for them to hurry as Axel and Riku approached curiously. Riku leaned to pet his own dog before looking into the kennel. "Found someone who catches your attention, boy?"

Axel smiled at his friend and then turned to look at the canine who had grabbed Enkeli's attention. The dog was about the same size as Pluto's son, with a slightly broader forehead and a white coat with chocolate coloured spots all over it. The dog barked lightly and wagged its tail as it looked between the two young males.

The emerald-eyed man cautiously slipped hand into the kennel, only to find that the caution was unnecessary as the strange dog licked his hand and then pawed at him. "Hey, he seems cool."

"She," corrected Riku as he looked over the file attached to the wall beside the kennel door. "She's only a little older than Enkeli, but it says she's gotten along with every other animal they've introduced her too, and she's up to date on all of her vaccines. She's even spayed already."

"What is she?" questioned Axel, taking the dogs unique colouring and sturdy size.

"It says 'Dalmatian mix'," the silver-haired boy read aloud. "The Dalmatians in Traverse Town were great. Even Squall was thinking about taking one of the pups home."

"Really…? That says something," the redhead watched his prospective dog for a brief moment. "What do you think she's crossed with? Her build is only a little more streamlined than Enkeli's…think she might be half the same breed?"

"Actually, by her head and the webbed toes, I'd guess Labrador," replied Riku thoughtfully. "You'd do well with a lab mix…they have a bit too much energy for some people, but I think she'll need it to keep up with you. The Dalmatian blood should keep her toned down enough not to be a pain too."

Axel nodded, and then he smiled at his friend. "I knew it was a good idea to bring you two along for this."

"The lady up front was right," commented Riku with a smile, "Your logic sounds a little strange, but it makes sense once you think about it."

"Of course it does," Axel grinned. The two dogs were hopping their front feet and yipping playfully at one another as the two young men talked. "Enkeli definitely likes her."

Riku nodded and then turned his gaze from his dog to his friend, "Do you want to try letting her out and seeing how they do?"

"Yeah, if your sure," replied Axel as he reached for the hasp on the kennel gate. "Be ready to throw up a Dark Shield just in case…I don't want to get your dog hurt."

Riku smiled, "Aw, see…? I told you you'd make a good dog owner."

Emerald-coloured eyes rolled. "I just know how attached you are to Enkeli…you'd be heartbroken if he was hurt."

"Uh-huh," the turquoise-eyed teen smirked. "I'm sure that's the only reason. We already know you're far from heartless, so just drop the tough-guy act, okay? No one is here and I won't tell anyone what a sap you are."

"If I've become a sap, I'm totally blaming you," commented the redhead as he opened the kennel. The dog immediately ran up to him and began trying to sniff and lick every inch of the tall man.

"Well she's definitely friendly," stated the redhead with a chuckle. Then the dog calmed somewhat and he pat her head with one hand as she sniffed the other. After giving the limb a small lick, the dog moved onto Riku, who crouched down and offered a hand as well.

Several minutes passed and the spotted dog had sniffed and licked both Riku and Enkeli as well as she had Axel, then the two dogs began to play lightly, chasing one another around the two young men and pawing each other.

"Oh, did you let her out on purpose?" asked the woman who had drugged the other dog before as she approached the young men once again.

"Yeah, we wanted to see how they get along," replied the redhead. "I think we have a winner," he added with a broad grin.

The woman smiled in return. "Oh good; I was hoping Roxie would find someone who she could have fun with," she petted the dog when she paused in her play just long enough to greet the new arrival before returning her attention to Enkeli.

"Are you two alright?" asked the woman when she glanced at the two young men again and discovered them looking from her, to the dog, and finally each other with a surprised expression.

"Did you just call her Roxie?" asked Riku.

"Oh yes; that's what the young man who turned her in called her," stated the woman, looking slightly confused. "His dog had a small litter, it seems, and he found homes for all except for two so he brought them here. One of the volunteers adopted her brother right away. He's very happy with him."

Axel and Riku looked at one another again, and then both nodded. The redhead turned to the employee, "I'll take her."

"Wonderful!" The woman smiled. "I'll bring her file up front for you. The fee will be thirty Munny, but you get a coupon for five Munny off her registration and a free leash, which you'll want to keep her on for a couple weeks, just to make sure she knows who she belongs with."

"That all sounds fine," the redhead responded with a smile. He glanced at Roxie as the woman headed to the front office. "Come on girl," he patted his thigh, as Riku always did when calling Enkeli to him, "Lets get this taken care of so you can some home, okay?"

Roxie wagged her tail and trotted to Axel's side as Riku silently patted his own thigh and Enkeli joined him. As they walked to the front office, Roxie would take peeks at Enkeli and seemed to be trying to mimic his actions as he obeyed Riku's silent commands to ignore the other dogs and stay with him.

"She's smart," commented the silvered teen.

"That's good," Axel grinned. "I doubt I have the patience for a stupid dog…"

"I think she'll be fine," replied Riku as he scratched Enkeli's head.

"So do I," the redhead offered a Cheshire Cat grin to his friend before they entered the office to pay and sign for his new dog.


	284. Curled

_Prompt: Curled_

_Given by: Lapse - Raevn_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII, Post-Nut, Post-Alpha, Post-Redheads_

_Pairings: Tifa/Rude, Cloud/Reno, Zack/Aerith_

* * *

Tifa paused before knocking at Reno's condominium when she heard Cloud's voice through the door. She could not make out what her friend was saying, but she recognised his tone well enough to know he was angry and defensive. With a small sigh, the umber-haired woman pulled the spare key out of a small potted plant and made a mental note to tell Reno that he needed a new place to hide it…after she found out what was going on.

Closing the door behind her, Tifa followed the voices to one of the small condominium's bedrooms.

"I'm not going to go along with this shit like your friends do. If you have an issue…that's cool, but, don't act like a martyr over it…and don't make this into anything more or less than what it is, yo."

Mahogany eyes widened as Tifa stepped into the bedroom doorway just in time to see Cloud's fist connect with Reno's cheek. The spiky-haired man stood his ground while the redhead staggered and brought to a hand to his face. Then the two stared at one another for a moment. Narrowed eyes and curled lips told the umber-haired woman that the fight was not over.

"Oh, so _that's _how you want to deal with this, yo?" questioned Reno as he adjusted his posture, clearly expecting another blow. "You only have what, fifty pounds and a few Mako treatments on me but what the hell; I'll call it a fair fight if you will."

Tifa moved in to place a hand on her friend's shoulder when Cloud stepped forward, "Hey! Cloud wait…what's going on here?"

"Nothing," commented the azure-eyed man as he turned away from both Tifa and Reno.

The umber-haired woman rolled her eyes and turned to the other man, "Reno?"

The Turk rubbed his bruising cheek as he shot a small glare at his boyfriend. "Your friend here can't even break up with someone without acting like a misunderstood, whiny-"

"I am not acting like a- Wait," Cloud blinked a few times as he turned back to the others. "Who said I was breaking up with you?"

Soft blue eyes blinked as well before Reno shot Cloud a look that clearly said '_are you crazy?'_ "Were you paying attention to any of the words that left your mouth a minute ago, yo?"

The ex-SOLDIER narrowed his gaze, this time looking just as confused as he was angry. "What the hell are you-?"

"Okay, hold on, I think I know what's going on here now." Tifa turned to her best friend. "You got into a situation that actually required you to make a decision you couldn't take back so you got bitchy and then pulled your famous 'I'm leaving' line just when he tried to seriously talk, right?" The blonde man looked annoyed at her choice of words but did not argue.

Tifa nodded and turned to Reno. "You've never been in an even _remotely _serious relationship before, have you?" The redhead shook his head easily, clearly less perturbed by her accusation than Cloud had been.

"I thought so." The mahogany-eyed woman nodded and turned back to her best friend. "This is your first serious fight; he thought you meant you were leaving for good, not just avoiding the situation."

"Well how was I supposed to know that?" questioned the blonde man. "I didn't even know about the relationship thing."

Tifa quirked an eyebrow, "He's twenty-two and he's been a Turk since he was eleven, when was he supposed to have gained that little experience? The only reason Rude and I were able to get serious was because of a few planet-scale disasters giving him some time off."

The ex-SOLDIER looked confused, "I thought you had to be at least thirteen to join Turk, same as SOLDIER..."

The mahogany-eyed woman rolled her eyes at her friend. "Cloud, that wasn't the point."

"Okay, I'll ask about that later then," The azure-eyed man glanced at his boyfriend. "I- Wait…you're only twenty-two?"

"You're only twenty-five," replied the redhead. "What's your point?"

"You've been going out for months now and you've known each other for years," interjected Tifa, "How did you not know his age?"

"I'm more surprised that you knew it, yo," stated the blue-eyed man before he looked her over questioningly, "Rude?"

"Mm-hmm," Tifa nodded.

"Okay, back to the point," Cloud interrupted, shooting a look at Tifa before turning back to Reno. "If this is your first long-term relationship…then does that mean that I-?"

"That wasn't the point of this conversation either," interrupted the Turk. "And come on; we both know I'm a far cry from innocent or naïve, yo. Of course, I'm not an uncaring little slut like you seemed to think I was either…Ass."

Tifa chuckled as Cloud frowned. "Okay, so do you two think you're ready to work out whatever started this like a normal, mature couple now? It's probably just a misunderstanding like the 'break up' was a moment ago."

"Oh no, there's no way this was just a misunderstanding," commented Cloud.

"Okay, then it's probably something small that blew out of proportion," amended the mahogany-eyed woman.

"That's probably it, yo," Reno looked slightly confused. "Actually, I don't even know _what _started this." He looked at the blonde man; "You were fine when I left to answer the phone and when I got off a few minutes later, you were being an ass. Then all of a sudden you were gonna leave and then you hit me when I got mad. So…what the hell...?"

Cloud looked down, clearly ashamed now, and Tifa had to fight not to chuckle as both men looked like little boys, one upset and one feeling guilty.

"You know how I get the past few months…especially with Riku," stated the ex-SOLDIER.

"Yeah, so what…it bugged you that I talked to him?" questioned the Turk.

"Actually, I think it was more the nature of how you were taking with him," replied the azure-eyed man.

"I didn't know you were the jealous type…I'm guessing this is one of those alpha angel things?" The redhead arched an eyebrow when his boyfriend nodded hesitantly. "You're not gonna start pissing on me or anything are you? 'Cause that sort of thing really doesn't do anything for me, yo."

The spiky-haired man drew his brows in irritation. "No, I'm not. It was just the lewd comment that set me off and you should curb that anyway. I thought you _had_, to tell you the truth."

"What does 'lewd' mean, yo?" The younger man looked bemused. "I thought this was about us talking like buddies…"

Cloud shook his head but then looked uncertain and Tifa scoffed, "He means it was sexual."

The blue-eyed man looked annoyed now as he addressed his boyfriend again. "Hey, I've been good since I screwed up a year ago, yo. Besides, I'm with you now. Didn't we already verify that I'm not nearly as easy as I let people think I am?"

The older man narrowed his eyes slightly. "Look, I heard you, okay? There are only so many things that your little licking comment could have been about, and none of them are as innocent as you're acting like it was."

"My little…?" The redhead looked confused for a moment and then he suddenly started chuckling. "You mean, 'I lick and suck, never bite, yo; that hurts'…shit, I totally didn't think about how that sounded."

"Okay, that _does _sound like it could be taken either way," admitted Tifa with a small chuckle of her own.

"You didn't hear most of the conversation before that, did you?" asked Reno after he stopped giggling.

"No, that just caught my attention," replied the ex-SOLDIER, now not so sure about his previous statement, but not ready to admit he might have been wrong yet.

"We were taking about ice cream bars, yo," stated the Turk. "Axel took a bite out of Riku's while he was distracted with the phone and he complained about how biting into ice cream is just wrong. Then Axel mentioned that it was better than Yuffie's slurping, so Riku asked me what I thought." The younger man shrugged. "I'm cold sensitive, so, like I said, biting hurts."

Tifa started laughing in earnest now as Cloud stared at the redhead blankly. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, ask Riku if you don't believe me," replied the blue-eyed man.

"No, I believe you," Cloud rubbed the back of his neck. "I just feel like an ass now…"

"Well if you don't like it then don't act like one next time, yo."

There was no anger suggested by the redhead's tone or expression, and Tifa wondered how someone who could get over things so easily could be with someone who never let anything go.

"I- Yeah…I'll try to keep that in mind." The ex-SOLDIER noticed the look his best friend was shooting him and added a quick, "Sorry." When the younger man waved it off, azure eyes shifted to Tifa; "Thanks."

"Well, I can't let you throw away a good thing when you have it," the mahogany-eyed woman smiled. "And I still need Reno intact to translate Rude for me half of the time….which brings me to why I came here to begin with."

"I know what you're getting at and that's gonna take a minute," said Reno with a touch of apprehension. "Hey, don't you go anywhere," he added when it looked like Cloud was going to give them some privacy. "Now I'm gonna need you to stop her from kicking my ass, yo."

The blonde man smirked and stepped back into the room to join them.


	285. Matter

_Prompt: Matter_

_Given by: Blastermine_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII, Post-Curled_

_Pairings: Tifa/Rude, Cloud/Reno; referenced Post-Rude/Chelsea_

_Author's note: This takes place directly after Curled. I have not done that since Luminescent 1 & 2. By the way, I hate writing dialogue-heavy pieces...especially when I want to correct the characters grammar more than I should for characterisation. Enjoy and thank you for reading._

* * *

"Okay, so what's the matter with Rude?" Tifa asked without any preamble once she, Cloud, and Reno were seated in the redhead's sitting room. "He's been quiet and cynical lately and he won't say why. Don't you say anything," she added as she pointed to Cloud, who was sitting beside her on the loveseat and looking bemused.

The blonde man held up a hand defensively, "I already have figured out that you two see and hear something completely different than the rest of us do when you talk to that guy. Hell, with the way him and Reno are, I wouldn't be surprised to find out the old President had Hojo devise a way to make his Turks connected to their partners minds…"

The umber-haired woman rolled her eyes and then returned her attention to Reno, who was sitting in the room's only chair and holding an icepack against his cheek. "I'm guessing you already know something's up since you've been reeling him back all week."

The blue-eyed man nodded, "Yeah…I already talked to him earlier, yo. He's just got to decide what he wants to do, you know?"

Cloud looked from Reno's slightly concerned expression to Tifa's completely bewildered one and then returned his gaze to his boyfriend. "Reno, obviously she doesn't know or she would be talking to him instead of you. What decision is he trying to make?"

"Well between the bombs Elena and his old man have dropped this week, he's just a little stunned form the concussions, yo," replied the redhead. He glanced at Tifa. "Look, yo, just…if you meant what you said when you guys first hooked up -and you better have- about not caring about what he does or not needed to be married and have your man around all the time, then now would be a good time to reinforce that idea, yo."

Azure and mahogany eyes blinked. Cloud spoke first, looking at the redhead with a bit of concern now. "What's wrong?" He sighed when the redhead looked at him questioningly. "Rude told me that your 'yo's are a nervous tick…I never noticed before, but you just used the word a lot more than usual in that statement."

"Wait," Tifa finally found her voice, which matched her confused expression. "I thought Elena just called to check up on you two like she normally does and is 'his old man' just a nickname for someone or are you telling me that you and Rude are in contact with his father? I thought that wasn't allowed with Turks…and didn't his dad die during the evacuation eleven years ago?"

Cloud placed a hand on Tifa's shoulder, to both comfort her and settle her, as her tone and expression grew fiercer throughout the statement. He shot the redhead a look that clearly said 'explain _now_'.

Reno sighed, "That's what they told him when he asked about his dad after Shin-Ra set up on Gaia, yo. It turns out; they told his old man the same thing about Rude when he tried to find out about him. I guess Old Man Shin-Ra figured it was an easy way to cut Rude's last tie outside of Turk…they usually didn't let people keep one for that long, yo. But Rude wouldn't give up his old man and he was too good a Turk for them to get rid of him."

"So when did he find out that he was alive?" questioned the mahogany-eyed woman, still looking torn between anger and surprise.

"I never thought about it at first, but after Rude hooked up with you, it just seemed like it was a little too convenient for Shin-Ra that the only person he had for years before that was his partner," commented the Turk, looking thoughtful. "A few months ago, before Mail was born, I called Tseng and asked him to confirm the death date of Rude's dad...I used his name though so Tseng wouldn't know who it was. Shachou found out and looked into it, but couldn't confirm, yo…because Rude's dad was evacuated by Shin-Ra and was still living somewhere on Gaia."

"_Was _living on Gaia?" asked Cloud while Tifa looked concerned at the use of past tense.

"The boss had him contacted about Rude once he found him," Reno stated easily before he smiled slightly. "Shachou made sure he received an offer to be brought back home by Shin-Ra. Once Rude's old man heard that Rude was alive, he jumped at the chance to come back here. He stayed in Midgar for a bit, I guess, and now he's checking out their old home in Mideel…some sort of sentimental thing, yo."

Tifa nodded slowly, clearly trying to piece together the facts thus far. "So was this the first time Rude has heard from him since he learned he was alive?"

"Second, yo," corrected the Turk. "He called for a minute when he first arrived. It took longer than expected to get him here, but it's not like Rude didn't have enough going on."

"So what's this bomb he dropped then?" questioned the mahogany-eyed woman who was obviously growing frustrated with the younger man's answers.

"It's hard for people outside of Turk to really get the way things are on the inside, yo," stated the redhead, now sounding more serious. "He thinks Rude should quit and marry you. The thing is, neither of those are choices for a Turk, yo."

"But it got Rude wondering if I was thinking the same thing," muttered Tifa. She sighed when Reno nodded. "…And I recently mentioned how glad I was that Shin-Ra hasn't gotten in the way anymore, which made it worse."

Reno sighed as well, "Yeah, that could have been timed a lot better, yo."

Tifa glared at the blue-eyed man slightly, "Well it's not like I knew what was going on. ...And I agree that I don't know that much about how Turk works, but does that even matter anymore? Aren't you basically just bodyguards now when Rufus Shin-Ra needs you? Which he hasn't for nearly a year now, I might add."

The redhead shook his head, looking unusually despondent. Cloud frowned. Guessing where the younger man was going, he asked "What about Elena? You said she dropped a bomb too."

"More like a heads up for the bomb, yo." The younger man answered. "She wanted to let us know that Tseng would be calling soon."

The ex-SOLDIER frowned and Tifa's eyes narrowed further; "What does that mean?"

"Shin-Ra isn't as down and out as everyone thinks," replied Reno, now looking and sounding more like the Turk they had known all these years. "We're getting called back into active duty, yo."

"You can't be," the umber-haired woman blurted out before she had time to think on the words.

"Yeah, we can," countered the blue-eyed man. "We were just checking out some stuff when we first got here, yo, and then we were supposed to head back to the boss, but he told us to stay here until he had Tseng call us back." He ended the statement with a small shrug.

"So what happens now then?" questioned the mahogany-eyed woman.

"Well, Shachou's had a change of heart since everything went down off-planet, so he ain't planning on doing the whole iron-fist deal again," The redhead sounded pleased, but then he looked slightly nervous once more "It should be easier to have some kind of life outside of the job now, yo."

Tifa sighed, knowing that 'easier' was still not going to be easy. Cloud rubbed her back lightly. "It's been a long time since life was easy…and if anyone's up for handling a challenging relationship, it's you."

"Yeah, at least he doesn't brood seventy percent of the time like Spiky here," added Reno, still watching the woman with a touch of apprehension to his eyes.

Tifa suddenly realised why that edge was there and smiled lightly at the Turk; "Reno, do you know why I agreed to a date with Rude to begin with?"

The younger man did not hesitate for a second. "Because he's a good guy and you're lucky he took an interest?"

"No, well that's true, but I didn't know it at the time," Tifa shook her head and smiled. "Because when you snuck up on me to talk to me about him, it was so clear that you weren't even sure whether you wanted to encourage me or scare me off…it was like you just wanted him happy, but at the same time, you were just as scared of him getting hurt as he was. I mean, telling me what an amazing guy he was and that I should thank the gods he even looked at me twice. Then, immediately warning me about his ex who was in AVALANCHE and hurt him badly when she left, and that the only reason you didn't rip out her 'innards' and feed them to an angry Torama was that you didn't want him to upset him more. Finally, telling me how you wouldn't hold back like that with me if I hurt him… You alternated between talking about all the reasons why anyone would be lucky to have him and describing the most horrible deaths that would befall anyone who didn't appreciate him, and it was one of the most adorable things I have ever experienced."

Cloud bit back a laugh. "A scrawny kid like that actually tried to threaten you? No wonder you thought it was cute." Reno looked reminiscent of an angry cat and Tifa shook her head again.

"No, I would have been appalled under normal circumstances but," the mahogany eyed woman turned back to Reno with a slightly wondrous expression, "The look on your face and the way you sounded while you talked about him… I just thought, 'if that man can make this boy, who always tries to act so tough and careless, love him so much, then he has to be something really special…and someone like that is worth giving a chance to'. So I did, and it didn't take long for me to see why you love him that much."

"Okay, ignoring the fact that I've been called a kid twice now," stated Reno indolently before he smirked, "You mean you love Rude, right, yo? So the whole Turk thing still isn't too much?"

"No, just," the umber-haired woman sighed, "Please don't tell me we're going to have to move back to Midgar…"

The Turk waved a hand idly; "Naw, he'll probably be able to commute as long as he sticks near his partner and I'm not going anywhere, yo. Just know we're gonna be gone a lot more…"

Tifa nodded, "I can deal with that. I just wish he'd have come to me sooner…or at all."

"He'll get there, yo," Reno assured lazily, "Maybe…" He noticed the looks the other two were giving him, "Well, what do you want me to say? Look, he's been better than he has in years, at least. Yeesh, be glad for what you have…"

"I am," assured the mahogany-eyed woman. "I just can't help but wonder why I always get attached to the difficult ones," she shot a not-so-discreet look at Cloud, causing the redhead to smirk and the blonde to glare before grinning and shoving his best friend lightly.

"Well, I better get going then," stated Tifa after shoving Cloud off the sofa, earning a surprised grunt from the ex-SOLDIER and a poorly concealed laugh form the Turk.

"Hey, wait, yo," Reno glanced at Tifa as she stood. "If you want to talk to him about it soon, just mention it lightly and then wait a bit. He won't say much, but once he knows its out and approachable, he'll want to make sure you're okay, yo."

Tifa nodded and smiled. "I'll do that. Thanks, Reno…I can see why Rude made you his exception all those years he didn't want to be close to anyone." She smirked as the redhead wave doff the compliment and the called over her shoulder as she left, "You boys play nicely now!"

"Do we ever?" Cloud called back before he turned to look at his boyfriend with his arms crossed over his chest. "So you actually joined Turk when you were eleven?"

"Ten, yo," replied the redhead as he poked at the bruise on his cheekbone and winced slightly. He then grinned lightly at the ex-SOLDIER, "I told them I was twelve, but they guessed I was ten, so after a while they decided to save time arguing and split the difference."

The blonde man snorted and shook his head, "They should have guessed then what a pain in the ass you would turn out to be."

"Oh, they knew, yo." Reno's grin turned into a smirk. "They just knew I would be an even bigger pain in the ass to the people they were gonna set me against."

"Yeah," the azure-eyed man nodded, "You definitely were…"


	286. Playground

_Prompt: Playground_

_Given by: Lapse - Raevn_

_Setting: Gaia; Pre-KH _

_Pairing: None_

_Author's note: I felt like playing with the Turks and a few people wanted some more background on these two, so here's something a little different. Enjoy and thank you for reading._

* * *

The seventeen year old sat as emotionless as always, with his hands folded in his lap and his eyes hidden behind dark glasses.

No one, not even Verdot or Tseng, would ever guess how shocked and angry the bald teen was at that moment.

He had reported in to meet his newly assigned partner. On the way to Verdot's office, Tseng had assured him that the kid was the perfect candidate (despite the fact that he was straight out of training); that the rookie passed with top marks and even set some new records (despite the fact that he did not look like much). The kid was supposedly a bit playful and tended to stand out, but could be serious and unseen when he needed to be. Tseng reminded Rude that not just anyone could make Turk and many of those selected for training either dropped out, died, or were turned away during the first of the two-year training process.

All of the assurances had made Rude quickly realise that he was going to be concerned when he saw the rookie, but he knew that Tseng and Verdot were telling him the truth, and that they knew a good Turk and a good match when they saw one. If they thought the kid belonged in Turk and with Rude, he would give him a fair shot.

However, all of that trust and assurance faltered the second Reno entered the room.

The boy clearly thought that the rule 'uniforms must be worn in accordance to company standard' meant 'tie optional'. In addition, no one on the gods' green earth should have hair that violent shade of red, yet the kid never would have made the grade if he did that intentionally. Even still, the hair combined with the fair skin, slight body, fine features, and odd scars framing his eyes, definitely made the kid stand out. The way the boy spoke, even though he only gave a quick greeting before sitting in the chair beside Rude, made the bald teen suddenly understand the phrase 'you can take the boy out of the slums, but you can't take the slums out of the boy'.

However, none of these were the reason why Rude was clenching his jaw to avoid gaping in shock. The sole reason for that reaction was that the 'kid' was, in fact, just that: _a child_. Unless he just looked and sounded remarkably young for his age, the little redhead should not have been able to sign up for basic training yet, let alone have _completed _it.

A phone call interrupted the speech Verdot was giving, which Rude had not been paying attention to as he heard it the first time he was assigned a partner. He knew the drill, as far as Turk was concerned, your partner was more permanent than a spouse was. '_Till death do you part._

"Excuse us a moment," stated Verdot as he indicated that Tseng was to follow him. "Feel free to talk amongst yourselves."

Both Rude and Reno continued sitting staring forward for a moment after their superiors left the room, although the younger certainly looked more laid-back. After a moment, the rookie turned his head to look out the window on Rude's other side.

The bald teen noted that his new partner had medium blue eyes, almost periwinkle, which contrasted agreeably with his unique hair colour. He also noticed that the scars managed to fit the shape of the boy's cheekbones and eyes well, so that they complimented his face instead of making him look odd or ugly. In fact, the word 'pretty' came to mind when Rude took in the boy's face…and as far as Rude was concerned, prepubescent pretty boys (especially with obviously deliberate scars and hair that might as well be a target on their back) had no business being a Turk.

However, the kid had passed every test they threw at him with flying colours and even his age and unkempt appearance were not enough to deter his instructors and superiors. If they thought the kid was something special, then Rude could at least try to find out why.

First, he needed to find out just how valid his primary concern and complaint was. "How old are you?" he asked without any preamble.

Blue eyes immediately met Rude's, even through the glasses, and then they trailed over Verdot's vacant desk carefully before flickering to the closed door. Rude watched blankly until the boy returned his gaze to his new partner.

"I'm supposed to say fifteen if anyone else might hear, ya know?" the redhead explained his delayed reaction with a slight nod that might have been an apology. "They said I could tell you the truth though; I'm twelve, yo."

Now Rude did gape slightly before regaining his composure. "You're twelve?" That was a year younger than one needed to be to legally sign up for Turk. At twelve, Rude had been hanging out at the local playground before going home after school…not learning investigative techniques and covert operations. Although something told him that his new partner would not have had it that easy, even if he had not gotten into Turk somehow. "How are you here?"

"Well, my mom always said I was a gift from heaven, yo, but now I keep hearing about a stork and this sex thing, so I'm guessing it's one of those," replied the blue-eyed boy without skipping a beat.

Hazel-coloured eyes blinked behind dark lenses. He honestly could not tell if the kid was serious or not.

The corner of Reno's mouth twitched up slightly as Rude stared at him in a complete loss for words. "I'm kidding, yo. I just thought…'cause ya seemed kind of…never mind. Sorry. Turk picked me up during the evacuation of Radiant Garden." The redhead shrugged slightly; "Wasn't anyone around on my end to care about the age problem and everyone who would've cared on this end was too busy to notice, yo."

Rude nodded. He had suspected as much. Of course, now he wanted to go kick a certain recruiter's ass for intentionally slipping an under-age kid into boot. Recalling the boy's comment before telling his age, the bald-headed teen realised that, in the end, a lot more than one recruiter had allowed this.

"So, why are you here, yo?" asked Reno.

Rude wondered if the 'yo' was simply habitual or a nervous tick. "I looked into joining SOLDIER after I was old enough." He could not help but add those last few words. "I was picked up by Turk instead."

The blue-eyed boy nodded slowly and seemed to be watching Rude closely. He bit his bottom lip slightly. "What's with the shades, yo?"

Rude was now leaning toward nerves as the reason for the 'yo's. If he was right, he kid would have to be broken of it at some point. "Light sensitive. Retina damage. It's temporary." The bald teen hoped the redhead would not ask into it more, he really did not want to discuss his previous partner's death with his new partner already.

Reno only nodded again, "Sorry, yo." By his tone, one would have guessed he knew exactly what the other was thinking.

Rude raised his eyebrows slightly. At least the kid knew how to put the pieces together. He decided that if Reno felt he could ask something personal, then he could as well. Not that he wanted to upset his new partner, but he figured he should have a heads up if said partner might have cause for PTSD. "What's with the scars?" He fought the temptation to add the word 'yo' just to see if the kid would react to it.

The small boy sat a little straighter. "Warning, yo; saw something I wasn't supposed to."

"Harsh warning for a kid," commented Rude, recognising a sensitive subject when he approached one and deciding there would be time to ask for further elaboration later.

"I was lucky, yo…for a while they debated taking my eyes." Reno quirked an eyebrow when Rude's lifted again, higher this time. "I didn't expect a Turk to be surprised by that, yo. Isn't that kind of thing part of the job?"

"Sometimes;" Rude was even more sure about the 'yo's, but he decided not to confront that subject yet. "This happened in Radiant Garden?" He had always thought that city was peaceful, but that sounded like something one of the underground mobs of the Midgar area would do.

"Yeah," the redhead again seemed to gauge what the other was thinking, "The world, yo, not the city. You from there...?"

"World, yes; city, no," replied the bald teen.

Blue eyes looked over the tanned teenager a little more carefully. "I'm guessing Corel or Mideel."

Rude nodded, "Mideel. You?"

"...Junon."

The word 'slums' came to mind again, but Rude didn't like to live up to his name. "Underground?"

The redhead's features hardened slightly, as though he sensed the word the teenager had thought, "Yeah, _yo_."

The older Turk was tempted to smile at the deliberate addition of the 'yo'. Apparently, his new partner could not gauge his thoughts all of the time…at least not yet. He had done better than most so far though, and they had only just met. Rude nodded once in a way that could be considered respectful or apologetic. "You probably have good survival instincts then."

"Kept me alive so far, yo;" This time the word was not deliberate and Reno seemed to be truly over the insult already. Rude nodded once; the younger boy's apparent ability to let the small stuff slide off him was another good attribute.

Evidently, Reno took Rude's extended silence as the end of the previous discussion. "Are they gonna give us a mission right away or will we get some time to settle, yo?"

Rude was going to ask what the younger boy meant before he remembered that he had literally just finished his training, which meant it had been a couple years since he had any personal time and probably a decent night's sleep. "They'll give us paperwork first. We'll have some time."

The redhead nodded, "Okay…so you wanna spar then, whenever we do, yo? We should know how each other works in a fight before we're in one for real. What do you fight with, anyway?"

Hazel eyes blinked slowly before Rude just stared at his new partner for a moment, which the boy did not seem to mind as he waited for a reply. The kid wanted to spend his fist amount of free time getting to know his partner's fighting style. The bald teen was regaining his confidence in Tseng and Verdot. He nodded once, "That's a good idea. I prefer hand-to-hand combat. I'm also strong in demolitions."

"So you make bombs and stuff? That's cool, yo; pro'lly comes in handy too." Reno adjusted his position in his chair so he was facing Rude now. While the elder appreciated being able to see the boy better, it also reminded him of how much smaller the redhead was, as Rude could never fit in the small office chairs at that angle.

Rude took in the small Turk's scrawny frame and fine features once again. He really hoped the kid was tougher than he looked, but he assumed the little redhead had to be able to take a hit if he had survived the Junon slums _and _Turk training. "What's your weapon of choice?"

"I use this thing a lot, yo," commented the blue-eyed boy as he pulled a retractable EMR from his belt and offered it to Rude. While calling it 'this thing' had given the elder Turk some concern, the way the boy handled it suggested someone who knew what they were doing. The bald teen looked the weapon over before handing it back. "I use hand-to-hand too…well; I don't actually use my hands, yo. I mostly just kick people."

Rude chuckled once at the description. He surmised that the boy had probably trained in styles that relied on speed and agility rather than weight and brute strength as Rude had. Also, given his lack of upper body strength, using his legs was a wise choice. Deciding against saying this until he knew whether size was a sensitive subject, the bald teen simply nodded his approval.

"So, do you fly at all, yo?" asked the redhead, again seeming to take Rude's lack of verbal response as the end of the previous line of conversation.

"Efficiently enough, yes," commented Rude, wondering if the boy was aware that all Turks had to learn the basics of operating a helicopter, even if the odds of them flying were low. He noticed that his new partner wore a subtle smile since asking the question. "You like to fly?"

The blue-eyed boy nodded, that hint of a smile still gracing his lips. "Yeah; and I broke some record for that part of the final test, yo. Freaked the guy sitting with me out but he was laughing when it was done…and that Cid guy said I was a natural, yo."

Each of those statements impressed the hazel-eyed teen, even if it did not seem that the younger boy realised just what a compliment both of the older pilots' reactions had been.

Just then, Tseng re-entered the room. Rude sat straighter and Reno adjusted himself so that he was facing forward in his chair again. "I'm afraid Verdot will not be joining us again today. Reno, step outside for a moment, please."

Instead of following the polite but clear order immediately, the redhead glanced at Rude as though waiting for something. The bald teen nodded once right away without even thinking of why he was doing so, and then the younger Turk nodded to Tseng and left the office.

The field commander watched the boy close the door behind him and then turned his gaze to Rude. "He likes you."

Rude made no reply and Tseng continued speaking as though he had not expected one. "I've already made my opinion on this matter clear, but as it is an unusual situation and you are a good agent, I will grant you the opportunity to refuse this one time. I will partner you with another Turkette and find someone else for Reno as well. Make your decision."

Rude made no outward reaction to the unexpected offer except to turn his hidden eyes to the door. Through the partially open blinds covering the door's window, he could see Reno, standing at a loose attention partway down the hall. He blew a strand of bright red hair away from his mouth and seemed to be studying something on the opposite wall. Rude thought to himself that the kid truly did not look like much. In fact, he looked like he would be picked off in the first year.

Rude quickly thought over everything he had observed and been told about the kid. If Reno survived a few more years, he guessed he would be something special, but Shin-Ra was not known for patience.

Despite the fact that the blinds were set in a position to make it difficult to see inside the office, and that Rude was wearing sunglasses, Reno lowered and turned his head then, meeting Rude's gaze. He gave the teen a thumbs-up and a questioning glance at the same time, asking if he was okay. The bald teen nodded imperceptively and then turned back to his field commander.

"He'll be fine, sir."


	287. Dark

_Prompt: Dark_

_Given by: Blastermine_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairing: Leon/Riku, Zack/Aerith, Pre-Gippal/Yuffie_

_Author's note: Jediempress wanted to see Axel picking on Leon some more, so that is basically the only point to this. Enjoy._

* * *

Zack and Aerith had made it inescapably clear that they were having a nice romantic evening away from home and were not to be disturbed unless it was an emergency or something involving Riku. Leon could hardly blame them; it seemed like the closer they got to completing the reconstruction the more time they spent running around to upkeep what had already been rebuilt or trying to find suitable people to handle everything that needed to be ran and maintained.

However, the couple certainly had a point about making time for what was important. In fact, Aerith had gone out of her way to stress to Leon that sometimes what was more important needed a gentle reminder that it was in fact more important. The Gunblade wielder could take a hint, and so, he made sure to leave the project at a decent hour for the first time in a few weeks and headed toward the Fair residence, hoping to have a nice quiet evening with his own lover.

The steel-eyed man was only slightly surprised (and put out) when Yuffie answered the door. "Hey Squall! Come on in. Riku will be happy to see you…he was just complaining about-"

"Yuff! You weren't supposed to repeat that!" Gippal called from the sitting room before the hyperactive ninja could finish.

"Oops, thanks Gippal," Yuffie walked ahead of Leon to return to her friends, and Leon could hear the sound of a video game playing as well as some chatter.

"Haven't either of you heard of blocking, yo?" Leon heard Reno ask as the two entered the room. There was an unintelligible response as the other three males in the room spoke at once.

Riku was sitting at the end of the sofa, with a controller in hand, the buttons of which he was striking rapidly. Axel was beside the silvered teen, likewise abusing a game controller. Gippal was lounging at the other end of the sofa, laughing as he watched the screen before them. "Come on Axel, you already lost the last battle and you haven't hit pretty boy yet this round."

Reno was sitting on the floor in front of the sofa, leaning against back against the arm nearest Riku. He greeted Leon with a wave and a 'yo' and the stoic man nodded a greeting in return. As if some unspoken rule were in place, the others all changed their positions when they were made aware of Leon's presence. Gippal sifted to the floor on the opposite end of the sofa, and Axel and Riku both scooted over so the sable-haired man could sit beside his young lover.

Yuffie plopped on the floor in front of Gippal and he responded by pulling her back between his legs. "There, now I can still see and you have a backrest," he commented with a smirk.

"Works for me," replied the petite ninja as she made herself comfortable.

Leon sat in the space that had been cleared for him and was slightly surprised when Riku immediately turned to place a chaste kiss on his lips. "How'd everything go today?" He wordlessly passed his controller down to Reno.

"Good…very good actually," The steel-eyed man grinned slightly and pulled the teen into a deeper kiss. He kept an arm around the teen's slender waist and shifted to accept Riku's weight when the boy settled against him. "How were your classes?"

"Great; I definitely prefer college to high school." Riku smiled at him as he curled his legs under himself.

"I figured you would," commented the Gunblade wielder.

"We all did," added Axel, eyes still fixed on the television screen. "Riku, what possessed you to give my character tambourines as weapons?"

"They were the closest thing to chakrams available and if you use certain attacks it looks like flames erupt from them," answered the turquoise-eyed teen. He grinned at Leon's slightly confused expression. "I made characters of the five of us for SoulCalibur III."

"Ah," the sable-haired man nodded and looked at the screen, where characters that definitely had the colourings and basic styles of Axel and Riku were fighting.

"By 'five of us', he means me, Gippal, Yuffie, Reno, and him," Axel interjected, still focused on the game, although now he possessed a devious grin.

Riku nudged his friend with his elbow (earning him an annoyed grunt as Axel fumbled a combo) before returning his attention to his boyfriend with an apologetic smile. "I can only make five characters and since we play together all the time, I figured-"

"Riku, I don't care," Leon interrupted before he realised that the statement probably did not sound as he intended. His concern was justified when Axel spoke again.

"Actually, they just didn't have a stoic bitch class." Narrowed emerald eyes turned as far as they could to glare at the sable-haired man slightly without drawing the silvered teen's attention.

Leon shot the redhead an annoyed look before he returned his gaze to the turquoise-eyed teen beside him. "I didn't mean it like that…I just meant that I don't care about these games."

"Yeah, they're only one of Ku's favourite pastimes, why should you?" muttered Axel. Then the former Nobody grinned and flickered his eyes toward his silvered friend. "Don't worry, Ku, you'll always have me to play with."

Steel-blue eyes narrowed at the fiery redhead. "I didn't mean it like that either. And I have no problems playing with him…shit." The others giggled as the Gunblade wielder sighed at the fact that he did not seem to be able to say anything right this evening.

"You know, you probably wouldn't have to explain yourself so much if you would just talk more, yo," commented Reno. "Ku, will ya tell your man you get it so he'll stop setting Axel in pit-bull mode? This is getting pathetic, yo."

"Yeah, it's bad enough that he sucks with his own character," added Gippal.

"I don't suck, I'm just not a techno geek like you three…sorry Yuffie, but you're playing with sticks and fire right up there with me," replied the emerald-eyed man. The petite ninja waved it off with a smile and a nod of agreement.

Leon frowned at the youths and then returned his attention to his lover once again. "You sounded apologetic before and you shouldn't…I'm-"

The turquoise-eyed teen shook his head and settled against the older man again. "I know…don't worry about it."

The steel-eyed man pulled the teen closer and placed a kiss against his temple. He smiled slightly as the boy sighed contentedly, and then arched an eyebrow when the teen's stomach growled loudly. "Do you want to get something to eat?"

"Actually, I already called in an order from the Wutian take-out place," replied the Keyblade wielder.

Leon smirked, "All you need is some music blaring and you definitely have the college student evening down."

"See, I told you we needed music," remarked Axel. Just then, the chorus of Coldplay's _Talk_ filled the room. "I swear that wasn't me…"

"It's me, yo." Without pausing the game, Reno adjusted the controller against his knee and continued playing as he answered his cell phone. "Yo Rude, what's up? …… 'Kay, I can be there in five minutes."

Yuffie held a hand out across the space before Leon and Riku as Reno wordlessly handed the controller over, Axel paused his attack only during the seconds required for it to change hands. The Turk stood and waved over his shoulder as he left. The others called goodbyes and those who were not playing waved as well.

Leon smiled again slightly and Riku grinned at the sight, although he looked somewhat apprehensive. "What?"

"What do you mean?" questioned the Gunblade wielder.

"He means, who are you and what did you do with Squall Leonhart, _Smiley_?" Axel wrapped an arm around Riku's shoulders and pulled him back. "Ah! He's a pod person! Run, I'll cover you."

Leon had to put an effort into prevented his brow from twitching as both of the younger males chuckled. His boyfriend's emerald-eyed friend had taken to teasing and jibing Leon at nearly every chance he got ever since Aerith's mother had visited and made it clear that she would much rather Riku be with the redhead. Oddly enough, Riku seemed to take this as a sign of the two getting along better, perhaps mistaking it for friendly banter...Of course, for as well as Leon knew Axel, he might even mean it that way himself.

"He's probably just happy to see Riku actually having fun and not beating himself up for a change," commented Yuffie, who was now playing against Gippal using their respective characters.

"Or he was deciding on a way to abuse our poor dear friend here," stated Axel with a smirk. "Being the leather-clad sadistic paedophile that he is…"

Yuffie giggled and Gippal chuckled. The hyperactive woman shook her head, "I still can't believe Aerith's mom said that…she's always been so sweet to the rest of us. Well, except Zack."

"Yeah, no wonder he wanted to hide for most of her visit," stated Riku with a slightly amused grin. "Elmyra's nice but she can be brutal when she decides to be…actually, Aerith's kind of like that, now that I think about it…"

"Oh yeah," Yuffie sounded thoughtful. "Did I ever tell you about that time she got pissed at Cloud and-"

Suddenly, the entire room fell dark and silent. There was a collective gasp and Leon felt Riku grip his pant leg tightly for a second before releasing and rubbing his thigh almost apologetically.

"Uh, are we under attack?" Yuffie whispered, clutching her controller as though she were reading to throw it at anything that moved.

"No, the power just went out," replied Riku.

"I thought you said everything was going great?" stated Axel.

"I haven't heard of any power supply or electrical issues coming up," Gippal responded. A soft blue light struck the three on the sofa as the blonde man flicked his cell phone open. "I'll call Cid and see if anything's up."

"It's probably just the electrical storm we were supposed to have," commented Leon as he rubbed a thumb against Riku's skin where his shirt had ridden up slightly.

As if on cue, a roar of thunder struck. There was a yelp before Enkeli leaped over the back of the sofa and curled over Riku and Leon's laps. Roxie ran around the sofa and sat next to Axel's legs, looking nonplussed.

"I see Enkeli hasn't outgrown his fear of storms," commented Leon as he stroked the trembling dog's coat.

"I don't think he's going to at this point," replied Riku, who was also petting the frightened dog. "Yuffie, there's some candles in the drawer under the coffee table you moved earlier…I think there's some matches in the box on the mantle."

"We don't need matches," commented Axel. "Just bring the candles."

"Cid agrees with Leon," Gippal stated as he closed his cell phone. "Hey, we should play poker," he suggested as he and Yuffie moved the coffee table back into place and set the candles around the room.

"But most of us don't have that much Munny," Yuffie complained as they sat across from Leon, Riku, and Axel.

"We could play strip poker," suggested Axel as he lit the candles and threw a wink toward Riku, who rolled his eyes.

Yuffie grinned, "That'll work."

"Yeah, for you and Axel," stated Gippal. "I don't fancy sitting in a room with a bunch of naked men, thanks."

"I second that," stated Leon, nodding toward Gippal. "What if we play for something else?"

"Favours?" suggested Axel with a lewd grin while looking at Riku, who was blushing and shaking his head at his friend's antics.

"Candy and snacks?" suggested Yuffie.

"Speaking of food, when's it arriving?" questioned Axel as Riku's stomach rumbled again. "Have you eaten at all today?"

"In about five minutes, and I skipped lunch, okay?" replied the silvered youth. "You can't complain anyway, since you think coffee with lots of whipped cream and caramel counts as a breakfast food…"

The two began bickering good-naturedly while Gippal headed to Riku's room to find a deck of cards and Yuffie began to raid the kitchen (and their respective backpacks and messenger bags) for snacks. Leon looked at his young lover and absentmindedly petted the dog that was still sprawled across their laps, clearly not intending to leave them alone for the remainder of the night.

It was not the evening he had in mind, but he was with Riku and the boy was happy. With a sigh and a small smile, he wrapped an arm around the teen's waist and joined the light debate.


	288. Prompt is not an admissible title

_Prompt: &_

_Given by: Wings-of-a-butterfly_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KH, Post-__Nut_

_Pairings: Leon/Riku, Rude/Tifa, Zack/Aerith, Post-Sephiroth/OC_

* * *

Riku sighed as he read over the data on the computer screen once again. The file was irritating him, it seemed it had been important to Ansem the Wise, yet it did not appear to belong among the files with which it had been grouped. He was debating just copying it onto another drive and deleting it when Enkeli suddenly jumped up from where he had been lounging beside the teen's feet and headed for the door with his tail wagging.

Riku turned to see what had grabbed his dog's attention, but found out before he even stepped away from the computer as Reno entered the room. The redhead looked down and greeted Enkeli, then flicked his eyes up to Riku and nodded a small greeting before looking around the room.

The silvered teen frowned slightly. The other man had casually avoided speaking to or looking directly at him throughout the past few weeks. Hoping he did not posses the same kicked puppy look when he dwelled on his past mistakes, Riku decided to try to do something about it.

"Hey Reno, what brings you here? I thought you and Rude were on patrol this morning."

"We were, yo," replied the blue-eyed man, his eyes flicking to Riku's again before he looked at Enkeli and scratched the dog's ear. "It's past noon, we're done. Aerith recruited me to make sure you workaholics eat something." He held up a couple of lunch bags before tossing one to the teenager.

Riku caught the bag and chuckled. "I didn't realise it was that late…guess Squall's rubbing off on me."

The Turk chuckled as well, "Yeah, well, at least Zack's cool…he'll make sure you don't take everything too seriously, yo."

"That's certainly true," replied the turquoise-eyed teen. He arched an eyebrow when the redhead casually fed half of his own sandwich to Enkeli. "Do you slip him food often?"

"Yeah," Reno shrugged slightly, and then he looked up to see Riku's face. "That's not a problem is it?"

Riku smiled and shook his head. "No, it's just no wonder he likes you so much."

"Well it works for me too," commented the redhead. "This way Rude doesn't notice that I'm not the one eating it, yo." He grinned and started for the door. "I should-"

"You should stick around for lunch," interrupted the silver-haired teen as he leaned against the computer console and opened his own lunch. "We can vouch for each other later, since it seems like you get hassled about eating too."

"I don't really have to worry about it," replied Reno, although he leaned against the opposite wall and handed Enkeli a chip. "Tifa's helped keep Rude distracted from that sorta thing lately, yo."

Riku tilted his head thoughtfully as he watched the other male. Something seemed to shift in the redhead during that final sentence. It was too subtle for most people to have notice, but Riku caught it. "Yeah, they seem to be getting serious. I heard Tifa talking to Aerith about seeing how Rude feels about moving in together. How is that going to affect you? You guys are roommates, right?"

The blue-eyed man looked around the room languidly, "Really? He's had a feeling she was gonna bring up something about taking another step, yo. Yeah, we are. It won't really, I mean, he's happy-I'm happy, you know? But it's not like I can't afford the place on my own if he wants to try that, yo."

Whatever had shifted before seemed to be wrapping itself around the redhead, much the way Riku had seen darkness engulf others, but this was not darkness. Then he caught the Turk's eyes and noticed a slightly sad edge to them. Then it all started falling into place. The turquoise-eyed teen smirked and shook his head. "Damn, I think you have the best mask of all of us. I knew there was something more to all of that…"

"Huh?" Reno glanced at the teen and arched an eyebrow, "All of what, yo?"

"To everything that happened before," Riku vaguely waved a hand towards the redhead's privates, "_That _happened. Something was just off, you know? When Zack complained about your drinking, he said you never did that before and Rude agreed that it wasn't like you. You never looked at me the way Cloud or Squall or Irvine do. And then the way you just-"

"Whoa, slow down, yo." The Turk held up a hand briefly and watched the other as though he was worried the teen had finally gone insane. "What the hell are you talking about, yo? A lotta people drink a lot when they turn twenty-one…and people act stupid when they drink. That doesn't mean anything was off. And what does the way I look at you have to do with anything, yo?"

"You turned twenty-one nearly half a year ago and you still didn't drink much because of the whole Turk thing. Even Tifa noticed that you and Rude manage to make it look like you drink a lot more than you actually do." The silvered teen crossed his arms, having yet to take his eyes off the redhead, "And the way you look at me…it isn't lust, it's something else. I think even you don't know what it is."

Reno still appeared concerned for the Keybearer's sanity. "I think you and your friend have gotten dragged into too many fairytales, yo. No offence, but there isn't any deep connection between us; I was drunk, you were there, and I'm sorry, okay? That's all there is to it."

"No, that's not-" Riku suddenly stopped speaking and smirking. After looking thoughtful for another moment, he looked at Reno with an almost pitying gaze. "It's like what I did, only not as bad, but yeah…I did it because I thought Sora had abandoned me. This…is because of Rude, isn't it?"

Blue eyes blinked and any emotions that passed through them were buried just as quickly. The Turk shook his head slowly. "I have no idea what you're talking about, yo. What did you do? And what does Rude have to do with anything you've been talking about?"

The turquoise-eyed teen rolled his eyes. "You got upset because of Rude, which is why you were acting like an idiot. You aimed your efforts at me more often than not; because I'm the only other person here you felt a connection to. It's like what I did with Sora and Kairi only not nearly as extreme. Hey, maybe Aerith was right with all of that 'everything happens for a reason' speech…"

Now Reno rolled his eyes. "I don't think you fell into darkness and had some little soap opera with your friends just to be able to relate to me, yo. I'm not nearly that important."

"See? You _are _depressed." Riku opened his mouth as though he were going to say something else. Then he paused and studied Reno carefully. "You…Are you in love with Rude?"

"What? No, yo," The redhead frowned and looked at Enkeli, who was watching the two young men intently. "Did you do everything you did because you were in love with Sora?"

"No, of course not;" Riku frowned as well as both youths stared moodily in separate directions for a moment. "But are you sure that isn't it? Yuffie seems to think-"

"Forget whatever Yuffie thinks, yo," interrupted the Turk. "I love Rude, okay? More than anything, but not like that, yo, it's just…not like that with us. It's…"

"…Like he's been a part of you for so long that you just aren't sure who you are without him any more," finished Riku quietly.

"Yeah," Reno looked down at the floor. "It's been Rude & Reno for most of my life. Orders, invites, greeting cards, bills, reprimands, recognitions…it's all been Rude & Reno or Reno & Rude, but that little '&' has always been there, yo. I can't remember the last time I read or wrote my name without seeing it and his."

"Whoa, you guys are even closer than we are…But it was sort of like that with me and Sora back before everything happened," commented Riku with a soft smile. "It's no wonder we both ended up with a Keyblade. I don't think even the cosmos could tell us apart back then. If one of us got into the trouble, the other was right there too. If one of us did something, the other did it as well."

The redhead nodded slowly, and then looked at the Keybearer. "I meant what I said earlier, yo; I'm glad he's happy and I want him to be, but…" He sighed and waved a hand vaguely as though he were not even certain of what he meant.

"But it feels like your heart is missing when he isn't there." The silvered teen looked at the Turk knowingly, "And you don't want to hold him back, but you don't want him to leave you behind either."

"Yeah," Reno looked down before meeting the teen's eyes again and continued more quietly than he normally spoke, "…So how do you move on from that, yo?"

"You don't," Riku smiled at the redhead's confused and slightly annoyed expression. "I didn't have to anyway, and I don't think you do either. What you _do _have to do, is talk to him. I tried moving on, hiding what I was feeling, chasing after Sora, staying away from him, wrapping myself in darkness, and a lot of other things that I'm not proud of, but none of it worked. That's when I realised it was because he didn't want to let me go any more than I wanted him to."

"We still had to follow our own paths, but that's okay because he doesn't have to physically be here to be _here_," the silvered teen touched his chest. "If he called me right now and said he needed me, I would be on a Gummi in a heartbeat and I know he'd do the same for me. We're still best friends and we still support each other, we just needed to learn how to do it without being together all the time. For that, we had to talk to each other. Hell, he was just as nervous about it all as I was. I bet if you talk to Rude, he'll tell you that he's just as scared of losing you as you are of losing him."

"That's what I'm worried about, yo." The redhead tossed the reminder of his sandwich to Enkeli and sighed. "Rude knows me and how I think, so there's no way he doesn't know something's up. If he guesses that him and Tifa together is bothering me…it would be just like him to call it off instead of letting it hurt me. I don't want him to do that, yo."

"Then talk to him before he figures out what's bothering you." Riku smirked and raised his eyebrows slightly. "If he knows you that well, and I believe you when you say he does, then it won't take him long to figure out what triggered this in you. If he learns that on his own, he might just think you're sacrificing your happiness for his when you tell him you want him to stay with Tifa. You can catch that before he acts on it if you're there talking to him when he learns the truth. He's also really worried about you…I've heard a couple of the others talking about it."

"Yeah, I know, I just…shit, yo, I messed up, huh?" Although his eyes held a slightly nervous edge, Reno smirked in return.

"Not really," The silvered Keybearer smiled at the Turk. "At least you didn't kidnap anyone or help a crazy witch hell bent on ruling the universe…and you figured it out before you caused any damage." The teen shrugged nonchalantly.

The redhead snorted. "I don't know that I'd call this me figuring it out, yo. Thanks, Si-er…man."

Riku chuckled, "Most of my other friends call me Ku, if you want to try that; although I don't have anything against Silver, either."

"'Kay, I'll keep that in mind." Reno sighed and grinned. "Well, I guess I got a clock to beat. Wish me luck, yo."

The turquoise-eyed teen nodded as the Turk pulled out his cell phone and pressed the first key once. "You'll be fine." He found that he was unsurprised to believe that, but he was surprised at how good he felt at being able to help the other.

The blue-eyed man offered Riku a thumbs-up before turning to listen into his phone. For a moment, his eyes passed the computer screen beside Riku, and the teen noticed a hint of recognition and puzzlement before the Turk turned his attention to his partner's voice. "Hey Aibou, are you busy right now? No…well sorta…Yeah… No, I'll meet you there, yo. Bye."

"Good luck," Riku commented as the redhead turned to leave. He decided he could ask about the data later. People came first in his opinion.

"Thanks," Reno paused and turned to look at the silvered teen. "Hey, we're cool now, right, yo?"

The Keybearer smiled and nodded, "Yeah, we are. I'll see you later."

"Later," With a wave, the Turk turned and left.

Riku grinned when Enkeli crossed the room to sit by his side. "No boy, you've had plenty of food already."

The teen settled on the ground to eat his lunch and decided that he would need to have a talk with Leon and Zack about his newly secured friend when he finished with the computer. Then he would have to return with Reno and figure out what the Turk knew about that program, and why.

The Turquoise-eyed teen chuckled and scratched Enkeli's head. "At least this place is never dull."


	289. Obsequious

_Prompt: Obsequious _

_Given by: wings-of-a-butterfly_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII_

_Pairings: Referenced Zack/Aerith, Leon/Riku, Cloud/Reno, Rude/Tifa, Pre-Gippal/Yuffie, & implied Post-Sephiroth/OC_

Author's note: I am not going to even try explaining where all of this came from, other than to say that a lot of various conversations with friends have infused this one. Enjoy and thank you for reading.

* * *

"Why the hell are we up this early?" grumbled Cloud as he joined Zack in front of the town's public gym.

"I'm up because I'm good godfather and you're up because you're a good friend," replied the raven-haired man with a grin.

"Not at six in the morning, I'm not," stated the spiky-haired man.

Zack chuckled at his friend's disgruntled expression. "That's what I always liked about you; you were never as eager to please and obey as the other hopefuls… Anyway, then you're here because you owe me for covering for you last week."

Cloud smirked. "That's what I always liked about you…you can switch tactics in a second but never the goal. So why did you drag me out here at the crack of dawn again?"

"Riku and Axel want to start working out aside from their sparring and I want to make sure they know what they're doing before letting them hit the gym on their own." The violet-eyed man smiled and waved as the aforementioned young men approached.

"Ooh, who's the blonde," questioned Axel as they stopped before the two elders. "He's hot."

Riku shook his head and chuckled lightly. "It figures you would like him. This is Cloud."

"_The _Cloud…? Why haven't I been introduced to him before?" The emerald-eyed man smirked as he moved closer to the named blonde man and offered a hand. "Hey there, I'm Axel. Commit it to memory." He pointed to his temple with his free hand.

Cloud stopped his hand halfway towards the proffered one and blinked before turning to Zack. "Great, just what we need…another crazy redhead."

Axel looked confused for a second before smiling lewdly. "Oh. Yeah, this place must just attract sexy, skinny, tattooed redheads…I'm guessing you know Reno?"

"I own Reno;" Cloud stated levelly with a steely look that implied he did not like the former Nobody's lusty expression when he mentioned the shorter redhead.

Both Riku and Zack's eyes widened before they began laughing. Zack patted his friend on the back. "Damn, Spiky, I knew you were protective of your girls but I didn't know you were so...okay, wrong time for that." The violet-eyed man raised a hand and stepped away from his glaring friend.

"Wait…this is Reno's Cloud?" questioned Axel as he threw a glance at Riku, grinning when he noticed his friend was still smiling.

"Why does everyone check that when they know someone who's mentioned my name?" questioned the azure-eyed man. "Are there a lot of other Clouds walking around?"

"No, clouds usually float up there," Axel pointed up to the sky, causing Zack and Riku to chuckle and Cloud to glower at him.

"Hey, quit teasing my man, yo," commented Reno with a smirk as he approached the other four men. "Is there a reason why you're all just standing here?"

Cloud looked slightly confused at his boyfriend's sudden appearance. "Zack and I are helping Riku and Axel buff out. Why are you here this early?"

Blue eyes turned to Riku and Axel. "So you guys finally got sick of being skinny? 'Bout time, yo."

"What are _you _talking about?" questioned Axel, looking the scrawny Turk over slowly.

"Yeah, at least neither of us looks like we're suffering from long term anorexia," added Riku, also looking over the shorter male.

Reno rolled his eyes and turned back to Cloud, ignoring his friends' protests. "I come here everyday, yo. How do you think I've stayed fit all this time without fighting all the time?"

"Haven't you been sparring with the others?" asked the blonde man, "Or with Rude?"

"Yeah, but that's just to keep my fighting skills up." The Turk shrugged. "I've been working out for years. Tseng showed me some stuff he called low-impact…I think…back when I joined Turk."

"That works," commented Zack as he too eyed over the smaller redhead.

"Okay, can we all stop eyeing my boyfriend now?" demanded Cloud, beginning to sound irritated.

"Don't get all worked up, yo." Reno brushed a hand over the blonde man's shoulder. "Only Axel's doing it inna creepy way and I can take him. So how does standing out here help them work out anyway?"

"We were just talking while we waited," replied Riku.

Reno held the younger male's stare for a moment before glancing around; "…For what, yo?"

Riku and Axel looked at one another and then looked to Zack and Cloud. "They're the ones in charge of this exercise," commented the emerald-eyed man.

Zack chuckled, "Come on then. Hey, wasn't Gippal supposed to be joining us?"

"He and Yuffie are breaking into Cid's garage to swipe some material or something," replied Riku, waving off the older male's concerned expression. "It seems to be some sort of ongoing thing between Cid and Yuffie."

"…And Gippal's just trying to impress her. Are we doing low-impact stuff or whatever the opposite is?" questioned Axel as they entered the gym and headed to the locker rooms.

"That will ultimately depend on what you guys can handle," replied the oldest of the group. "Riku can definitely handle the heavy stuff Cloud and I do, he's got the build for it. You, well, we'll see what happens when you get started."

The fiery man frowned; "Hey, I've put on over ten pounds since your wife and her friends started heckling me."

Zack laughed, "Well between them taking over your diet and this, you should bulk up in no time…as long as you aren't using anything, which I already had checked out." He smiled at Axel and Riku's surprised expressions. "What? That's my only godkid you're hanging out with. The only one I haven't been able to find out _anything _about is Reno, but that's no surprise. Besides we know him well enough and Rude wouldn't let us do anything to him anyway."

The named redhead snorted; "Gee, thanks, yo…I feel so loved." He had arrived in his workout clothes and so he began heading out of the room after a nod to the others.

"Uh Reno…? Where are you going?" asked Cloud when he noticed the blue-eyed Turk's attempted departure. "The weight room and the cardio equipment are that way and the pool is over there. The only thing in that direction is the padded room for dancers and people who meditate and that kind of crap…"

Axel and Riku smirked immediately. The lanky redhead snorted, "Oh please say that you do ballet or something…"

Reno rolled his eyes, "I run and do yoga and belly dancing, yo; what else would Tseng teach me? Oh wait, you haven't met him yet…" He looked slightly thoughtful. "I'll introduce you when he and Elena come to town. I doubt he'll like you though."

Axel and Riku nodded and began changing, Zack was clearly trying not to laugh, and Cloud was staring at the Turk. "Are you serious?"

The short redhead arched an eyebrow at his boyfriend, "'Bout what?"

"What you do to work out," the blonde man replied flatly.

"What did you think he meant before?" commented Zack. "Besides, he does have a point about Tseng…although the belly dancing I hadn't heard about. I am so going to tease him for that when he comes to town." Violet eyes flickered to Reno, "And tell him he better bring Cissnei out with him."

The redheaded Turk chuckled, "You want him to bring Elena _and _Cissnei? That's gonna be a fun trip, yo. Plus, if Cissnei comes then her partner will have to come too. We'll be lucky if the boss man doesn't bite all our heads off when he gets here."

Cloud cleared his throat and eyed his boyfriend. "Oh, sorry, yo," Reno grinned. "Yeah, I was serious. Why do you think I come here either early or late? That way I don't have to deal with the asses that come in the afternoon or after work. I'm not sure if it's the undulating or that I'm all bendy or what…you're turning all red, yo."

Zack burst into laughter when he looked at his friend. Cloud shot him a glare and then turned back to Reno. "Okay, well why don't you just do this at home then?"

The blue-eyed man gave his boyfriend an incredulous look; "Have you seen the size of my apartment? I'm lucky I'm not the slob most people think I am or I wouldn't be able to walk across it, yo." He placed a quick kiss against Cloud's cheek before turning and waving over his shoulder as he left the room. "Later."

"Aw, is Spiky getting jealous already?" crooned Zack as he threw an arm over the shorter man's shoulders. "You better watch it, or soon no one's going to believe you when you say this isn't serious. You don't get possessive over flings."

Riku crossed his arms and looked at the blonde man as well. "You know, Reno doesn't call _you _a fling."

"He says he's just seeing how it goes and hoping you don't give Rude an excuse to blow your bike up," added Axel as he gave Cloud a once over. When the blonde man turned to look at him, he shrugged. "I guess that was the compromise they reached when Tifa asked him not to kill you."

"Rude doesn't like you very much," commented Riku. "I'm surprised Tifa and Reno can handle it. I'd hate it if Sora or Axel loathed Squall like that or if he hated them."

"He doesn't hate me?" questioned Axel. When the silvered teen shook his head the emerald-eyed man looked disappointed. "I'll have to heckle him more…clearly I'm going too easy on him."

Riku rolled his eyes, "No, I think your level of irritation is good where it is. Besides, I just said I'm _glad _you don't hate each other."

The redhead sighed, "Okay. Just for you though." He winked at his friend, who rolled his eyes again. Then he turned to Cloud. "So your boyfriend's best friend and partner, who's also your best friend's boyfriend, hates you. Man, must have really left a bad impression. I heard something about you almost killing Reno…? How does that work?"

Cloud grumbled something and Zack released him before turning to his godson. He then turned the teen and began heading for the door opposite from the one Reno exited. "Okay, that's enough Cloud tormenting for one day. Let's go show you boys how to lift weights without pulling or straining anything."

"Cool," Axel turned to follow them, with Cloud taking the rear. "Hey Ku, are we still sparring with Yuffie and Gippal later?"

"No, that's tomorrow," commented the silver-haired teen.

"Good, then we have all day to come up with how we can use this against Reno," stated the redhead. "Think I could get away with snapping a photo of him doing his thing in there?"

"No," replied Zack and Cloud simultaneously.

"Even if you could, you want to blackmail not only our friend, but our friend the _Turk_?" Riku shot his friend a disbelieving look over his shoulder. "I didn't think you were _that _crazy."

"You actually think Reno would go all Turk on us?" questioned Axel dryly.

"Yes," answered the turquoise-eyed teen. "You tried to bring Roxas in when the Organisation asked you to."

"Hey, that was different…somehow…" The former Nobody looked confused and slightly embarrassed.

Riku turned to look at his friend. "Uh-huh, sure it was."

Zack grinned and looked at Cloud, who was smirking as he watched the two that were now poking around the weight room as they bickered lightly. The blonde man looked up at his friend, "So you sill prefer the ones that aren't eager to follow orders?"

"Of course," the raven-haired man shoved his friend's shoulder lightly. "Those are the ones that make life interesting." With a smile still in place, the former First Class sauntered over to the younger two and began explaining the schedule they would be following.

When Zack explained that he would be spotting Riku and Cloud would be with Axel, the redhead smiled and shot the blonde man a rather suggestive look.

Cloud glared and forced himself to relax as he joined the former Nobody, wondering just how annoyed Zack would be if he gave the renegade a run for his money.

In either case, he decided it was going to be a rather long day.


	290. Lackadaisical

_Prompt: Lackadaisical_

_Given by: wings-of-a-butterfly_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII; Post-Looking Glass_

_Pairings: Implied Post-Sephiroth/OC, Implied Post-Sephiroth/Ienzo, Zack/Aerith, Leon/Riku, Pre-Sephiroth/Zexion_

_Author's note: Well I finally got around to completing this one. It's not my best and several of you will probably dislike it, but that's fine. I'm sure some of you will enjoy it as well and I actually like it. Thank you for reading._

* * *

Sephiroth looked around the dwelling that Zack had procured for him and Zexion. It had once been a watchman's post just outside the outskirts of the town's former borders. Now, it was just a small, abandoned cabin far outside of Radiant Garden. It was small, designed to be both office and break room for the guards posted in the location, with a kitchenette, bathroom, and a small room for sleeping. After a life spent in barracks, laboratories, and caverns or similar dwellings, it was more than enough for the former general and the little Nobody.

Zack, along with Riku and a few comrades, had made sure the water and power worked while Zexion located and contacted Sephiroth and the blue-haired teen had cleaned the place and prepared a small vegetable garden while he awaited the silvered man's response.

Sephiroth sighed and headed to the back door, leaning against the frame as he watched the little non-being tend to the garden. He had yet to see Zack or anyone else since arriving and he agreed that was probably for the best.

"Is everything satisfactory, Roth?" questioned Zexion as he glanced up to look at the named man.

"Yes," Sephiroth gazed at the surrounding area. The cabin was situated several yards into the sparse woods that had once surrounded the meadows the town was built upon. "Other than suddenly being able to relate to several of those princesses my son helped capture."

"If you're implying that I'm your fairy guardian, I might have to make you believe you _are _a princess," commented the slate-eyed Nobody as he stood and wiped his hands off on his jeans.

Feline-like eyes blinked, "You can do that?"

"To a mind such as yours, yes." Zexion smirked as he approached the taller man. "I won't though…not yet anyway. It would defeat the purpose of our being here."

Sephiroth smiled slightly and shook his head. "It's definitely fortunate that ShinRa never got a hold of you. I cannot imagine what uses Hojo and the old president would have put you to."

The blue-haired teen stopped and looked at the silver-haired man thoughtfully and with a touch of hopefulness. "You're memories are returning…just as they did before."

"It began when you first approached me, but it didn't cease when you left," replied the former SOLDIER. "It does seem to happen more steadily when you're near however."

Zexion nodded, "I'm a reminder of your past." He brushed past the larger male and entered their new home. "I'd like to start actual treatment as of tomorrow, if that's not too soon for you."

"No, I'd like that too," replied the silvered man as he followed the small Nobody with a hint of concern. "Zexion-"

The former First Class was interrupted as a small black creature darted between his legs, heading for the blue-haired teen. Well-honed instincts kicked in and Sephiroth grabbed the little non-being with his right hand, lifting him so the dark blur shot past them while he summoned Masamune.

The slate-eyed teen made a small sound of surprise and gripped the larger man's arm; "Roth, wa-" The small Nobody stopped speaking abruptly when the creature spun around to lunge at Sephiroth's leg. Even as the tall man moved to block, Zexion summoned a Dark Shield and the creature collided with an angry yowl.

The ex-SOLDIER's brow creased slightly in a frown as he set his friend down again and looked at the now clearly furry animal while it shook its head and growled lowly. "It's a cat."

"Yes," agreed Zexion, looking up at the taller man and sounding slightly amused. "What did you think it was?"

Not the sort to say 'I don't know', Sephiroth simply released Masamune and shot the little non-being a narrow stare before following the blue-haired teen's movements with his eyes as the teen approached the cat.

"I saw this cat in an alley in town earlier," commented the slate-eyed teen as he offered a hand for the feline to sniff. After doing so, the creature rubbed it's head on the pale hand and began to purr. "He's been following me around ever since."

The silver-haired man took a few steps toward the small Nobody, but stopped in surprise and slight indignation when the cat turned to look at him and release a fang-bearing hiss.

Zexion looked at the feline curiously, "That's odd…I would have expected him to prefer a human over a Nobody."

"It doesn't just prefer you," remarked Sephiroth, looking from the cat to the little non-being; "It's protecting you."

The blue-haired teen looked at Sephiroth sternly, "I do not need to be protected from you, Roth, any more than I needed you to protect me from him." He nodded toward the cat, who was now engaged in a staring match with the sea green-eyed man.

Feline-like eyes broke the contest to glance at the slate-eyed teen. "Perhaps it isn't me he's trying to guard you from."

Zexion searched the larger man's eyes for a brief moment before inhaling deeply. "Jenova;" slate coloured eyes moved away slowly, seeming to look at nothing. "Perhaps I'm the right one for this task after all…"

The former First Class looked at his friend and wondered if his surprise showed, although he did not doubt the little Nobody could tell either way. "You doubted that?"

The little Nobody turned to Sephiroth, showing the slightest hint of surprise. "You didn't?"

"No;" the sea green-eyed man answered without hesitation. "Who else possibly could?"

"No one I could think of, but I haven't been successful yet either." The blue-haired teen's voice was laced with irritation.

Sephiroth grinned slightly. "It's been a long time since I've seen your confidence waver." The smile faded into an unusually sincere expression for the ex-SOLDIER. "You were never able to do this the way you wanted to before. That hindered us both. There are no distractions or deterrents this time."

The young Nobody offered the former general a somewhat teasing smile. "Was that a pep talk?"

"Yes." The silvered man shrugged slightly. "I'm out of practice."

"No, that was actually good, even if it was somewhat lackadaisical," commented the steel-eyed teen as he stroked the cat idly. The feline purred and licked the tip of the Nobody's fingers before glancing at Sephiroth with a soft hiss, which caused the blue-haired teen to stifle a chuckle.

Sephiroth arched an eyebrow slightly and then looked at Zexion. "The cat is staying, isn't it?"

The small non-being nodded once; "Mm; you don't mind, do you?"

Feline-like eyes shifted to the cat, who was watching him with what he could swear was a mistrusting air. Then the silvered man took in the little Nobody, whose shoulders were trembling as he suppressed his amusement at the elder's reaction to the cat. A familiar but long forgotten warmth bloomed in the ex-SOLDIER's chest. "No," he stated quietly, "I don't mind."

The amusement drained from Zexion's features as he gazed up at Sephiroth, to be replaced by worry, uncertainty, and a touch of contentment; "Roth? Why are you looking at me like that?"

The familiar warmth spread throughout the ex-SOLDIER as he watched the emotions shift through the little non-being. "How am I looking at you?"

The blue-haired teen looked hesitant for only a second before he slowly raised a hand to place his fingertips gently on the taller man's partially exposed chest. Then a heart-shaped face rose for slate coloured eyes to stare into sea green.

Sephiroth only found the unexpectedly intimate gesture peculiar for the span of a heartbeat, before his focus was drawn into the slate-grey eyes of the little Nobody. His expression was more gentle, content, and vulnerable than the ex-SOLDIER could ever recall seeing it in years…or on any face for years honestly. After holding eye contact for an unknown span of time, the silvered man noticed his reflection in the clear eyes he was gazing into…

…And was shocked to find that he wore the same expression as his small companion.

The corner of Zexion's mouth threatened to quirk upwards until he was just as stunned by Sephiroth's hand gently caressing his face.

The small non-being's quiet gasp kicked the former general's mind back into full functioning mode and he stilled his hand immediately, but did not pull it away.

Sephiroth could recall being with Zexion before, but something was undeniably different this time. He was _thinking_ and _feeling_. He wanted more than he had wanted before. He had felt this way while with Ienzo…or with Hilargi. That was not a comforting thought.

Sane or not, Sephiroth was always intelligent and observant. He knew he was not mistaken in realising that he had never been good for anyone he actually _loved_. Especially when they were a threat to Jenova's hold on him.

The silver-haired man was jarred from his musing by a smaller hand resting over his own, which was still touching the teen's face. Zexion lightly stroked his thumb over Sephiroth's knuckles. The little Nobody's expression was slightly more guarded and controlled now, but still calm and possessed an understanding that the ex-SOLDIER doubted many other's could honestly offer him.

"It's all right, Roth. The point of this location was to make sure we'll have all the time we need." Zexion shifted the fair hand to place a chaste kiss on it before removing it from his cheek entirely and pressing it to Sephiroth's own chest. "So take it. Take some time, think things through, and don't worry about me."

The blue-haired teen dropped his own arms to his sides. "I'll start working on dinner, all right? Then you should take some rest. I plan to keep you busy tomorrow."

Seemingly unaware of how his last statement could be interpretated, the little Nobody turned and headed past the kitchenette, clearly headed for his garden. He turned his head to call over his shoulder lightly; "Come, Pickles."

With a long meow of acknowledgment, the stray cat trotted after the small non-being, throwing one last hiss at Sephiroth for good measure before heading out the back door.

The silvered man stared after them for a moment, still deep in contemplation until a stray thought entered the forefront of his mind. He blinked and then smirked slightly.

"…Pickles?"


	291. East

_Prompt: East_

_Given by: Reno's Boyfriend_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII, Post-Test & DDR_

_Pairings: Pre-Gippal/Yuffie, Referenced Zack/Aerith, Leon/Riku, Post Sephiroth/OC_

* * *

Axel lit a cigarette as he studied the board, then smirked and made his move. "Ha! Now my east wing is secured."

Riku arched an eyebrow at his friend. "You've never played chess before, have you?"

"No, but I used to see some of the senior members of the Organisation play," replied the fiery redhead. "Zexion and Lexaeus used to play this for hours and Lex used to do this all the time without Zexy bitching about it, so it has to be a legal move."

"It's a legal move," agreed the silvered teen. "It just has nothing to do with 'guarding your east wing'…it's called castling your king, since it's the most important piece."

Emerald green eyes studied the board once more, "This one?"

"No, that's your castle," stated Gippal with a snort. He approached the board and pointed to the king. "That's the one you need to take care of."

"What?" The former Nobody looked at the blonde man as though he were nuts, "…But he's just a glorified pawn!"

"Yes," the blue-eyed man nodded, "But if your king gets captured, you lose the game, even if all of your other pieces are still on the board."

"Guys; weren't we here for something more important than chess?" asked Yuffie as she arrived at the table with a tray of drinks. She suddenly paused, staring at Axel. "Uh, are you allowed to smoke in the coffee shop?"

Both Riku and Gippal turned to look at the redhead, clearly having not noticed the cigarette before. The turquoise-eyed teen then shook his head. "You know, you smoke way too much if we don't even notice the thing hanging out of your mouth any more."

"…Or the smoke," added Gippal. "Fortunately the smell of all the coffee and smoothies hides the smell pretty well."

"You still will get bitched at if the wait staff catches you," commented Riku as he took his drink from Yuffie with a quick 'thank you'.

"Yuffie's right anyway," stated Axel without putting out his cigarette, "We're supposed to be plotting to rule the world…"

"I thought we were plotting to have others rule it." Riku plucked the cigarette from his friend's mouth and put it out.

"Minor difference," the emerald-eyed man waved off his friend's eye roll. "You need to seduce your boyfriend into agreeing to run this place officially. Zexy probably hates me, but he's reasonable, so he'll listen to the idea of using his Other's connection to Ansem the Wise to choose who takes over here."

"What if he wants to rule Radiant Garden?" questioned Yuffie as she sat beside Gippal once everyone had their drinks. "He was fifth in line or something when he was human…and it sounds like he's well organised."

Surprisingly, Riku shook his head and replied. "No, from what Zack said, he's pretty focused on helping my dad right now. He can't do that and take over this place."

"Ku's right," agreed the former Nobody. "This isn't Zexy's sort of thing. He likes to be quietly in charge and there's no way he'd just drop his work with Sephiroth."

"We should see if Reno can find out what ShinRa plans to claim," suggested Yuffie.

"I can do better than that, yo."

The hyperactive ninja yelped and all four friends turned to see the named Turk standing a few feet away. "How long have you been there?"

"Since we started talking about rulers," answered Riku.

"You knew?" asked Axel. He looked slightly puzzled when the silvered teen nodded.

The petite woman smiled and turned to the new arrival, "Wow, you could be a ninja!"

"Thanks," replied the Turk dryly.

Axel returned his attention to Riku; "So he knows about Zexy and your dad then…how?"

The turquoise-eyed teen shrugged lightly, "He asked, so I told him. He won't tell anyone though…except Rude," Riku added, nodding toward Reno, who returned the gesture with a grin, "But he tells me that's not a problem."

"Rude's loyal, yo," commented the shorter redhead as he pulled a chair up to the table. "He won't tell 'cause I asked him not to. Anyway, your plan is all messed up, yo." The redhead pulled a strap over his shoulder, which the others had assumed was a backpack or the like. Instead, it was connected to a cylinder container, from which the Turk removed a few rolled maps. He carefully unrolled them on the tabletop.

"Whoa, what are these?" asked Gippal as he looked over the maps. "Are these ShinRa issue?"

"Yep," Reno nodded and then quickly began rolling a few of the maps back up again. The one he left on the table was a world map of Radiant Garden. It clearly had the land broken into three territories.

"Did that one say 'Reno loves Rude' in the corner?" asked Yuffie as she pointed to the maps the redhead was returning to the container.

A pair of blue eyes rolled in response, "Yes. That was Cissnei; yo, she used to like to tease me. Her parents definitely should have given her a little brother or sister to torment."

The petite ninja wore a teasing smirk, "Was she right though?"

"No," the Turk glared at her. "I was fourteen and it was just a crush, yo. I got over it. Nothing happened. Don't start."

The other four friends at the table stared at the redhead for a moment.

Gippal raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Okay…there's a sore subject."

"Yeah," Riku nodded. "Remind me never to give this Cissnei person reason to tease me. It sounds like she does a thorough job."

"Of course, yo; she's a Turk," replied Reno with a slight grin. "Have any of you bothered to look at the map we're supposed to be paying attention to, yo?"

"Oh, sorry," Riku replied as he and the others took a moment to look over the map. "What exactly does this mean?"

"The world was broken into three territories, since there's three continents. Some pieces of other continents got taken over by another territory over the years, but it was still pretty cut and dry, yo." Reno pointed to the middle continent. "This is the one we're on now, yo. It was ruled by Ansem the Wise and his apprentices were supposed to take over when he died…I don't know in what order though."

"Does it matter?" asked Axel. "They're all dead except for Zexy…and only a few people here actually know about Nobodies."

"Won't everyone find it odd that the surviving apprentice is a kid though?" questioned Gippal with a slight frown. "You said he looked about sixteen the entire time you knew him…if everyone sees a sixteen year old…wouldn't he have only been a toddler when Ansem the Wise disappeared?"

"So? We'll say he hadn't really started yet or something," The emerald-eyed man stated easily. "We'll work out the details later. What about the other two territories?"

Reno pointed to the largest continent, "This one was and _is _ShinRa owned and operated, yo. No one outside of ShinRa has any control over what goes on there, so you can kiss any plans you had on it goodbye. Rufus is in charge, but forget everything you've heard about him, yo…he's a good guy these days."

Yuffie appeared torn by this response, while Axel seemed irritated. However, Gippal and Riku simply nodded, having clearly expected to hear that. Riku pointed to the last continent, "Who's in control of that one? Isn't that where Squall and Quistis are from?"

"Mm-hmm," Reno nodded. "That territory was controlled by The Esthar Republic. From what I hear, that means a group insteada just one person ruled it, yo. It sounds like Squall's sister, his ex, and her old man are working to restore that system. You should just leave it to them, yo; they seem to know what they're doing."

Riku turned his gaze from one redhead to the other. "He does have a point, you know." Yuffie nodded her agreement. After exchanging a glance, Gippal and Axel nodded as well.

Yuffie turned to Riku with a smile. "So we just need to get Squall to agree-"

"Why does Squall have to take any sort of official position?" questioned the teenager. "Everyone knows he's running the show and if someone tried anything against the town, they'd have to take on two ex-SOLDIERs, one of whom was a First Class, three former SeeDs, a Keybearer who is also a master of shadows, a couple of Turks, and all the rest of you, who aren't easy opponents anyway."

"…And if two of Rufus' finest Turks get attacked, you can bet ShinRa's going to be all over whoever was behind it, yo," commented Reno.

Yuffie nodded, "Plus, Vincent and Reeve will be over here in a heartbeat if anything happens to us."

"Not to mention if Sephiroth and Zexion get involved," added Axel. "Then I'd almost feel bad for whoever was stupid enough to take us on."

"Aw," Yuffie frowned, "So all of our plotting has been for nothing?"

"All of...?" Riku arched an eyebrow. "We've spent a total of maybe fifteen hours talking about this over a few weeks."

"Besides," each of the others turned to Reno, "Everyone outside of ShinRa is stuck in the in-the-works phase for some reason, yo. You need to tell Squall to tell his friends to actually get the Republic over there back together and get everyone here to make something official. You can tell then what you know, and tell them to get their asses in gear. There's no point in having someone in charge if they don't want to accept responsibility, yo."

The others were silent for a moment before Axel turned to Riku. "So…what about my idea of just seducing Squall into agreeing to be the official leader around here?"

Riku sighed, "Why do I always make friends with the weird ones…?"


	292. Inhibit

_Prompt: Inhibit_

_Given by: Reno's Boyfriend_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Pre-KH_

_Pairings: Subtlety referenced Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi)_

* * *

Ienzo sighed as he opened another of the literally thousands of files stacked around his room. He was pleased that Professor Hojo seemed to have performed most of his work on the Jenova project in ShinRa's Radiant Garden research centre, as Ansem had not managed to gain the company president's permission to raid the other centres files and did not feel it worth starting a war over. The young apprentice could only imagine how much information the company must have concealed throughout all of their research centres.

The young sage diligently read the file and then picked up the next, determined to learn all that he could about his friend's strange ailment. He only hoped he would find a likely way to help Sephiroth. The general's episodes were growing ever more frequent and dangerous.

Ienzo caught a faint but familiar scent, which was beginning to change slightly. "You're back early, Eleaus;" He turned his head to see the older apprentice standing in the doorway, his broad shoulders barely fitting.

The large man crossed his arms and looked over the boy. "Have you rested at all since I left here last night?"

Deciding to skip the answer they both already knew, the short boy began with an explanation. "I finally found some more useful information. These files actually cover the genetic structure of Sephiroth, Angeal, and Genesis. They are actually much different when compared, so I think that is where Professor Hojo's failure lies…assuming he was truly trying to help Roth."

Eleaus frowned and approached the boy. "You doubt that?"

The slate-haired pubescent sighed and turned his eyes to the file in his hands. "From what I've read of Hojo's involvement with the project, I think he was more interested in studying Roth's affliction than curing him of it."

The older apprentice nodded, thinking that that sounded like something Hojo would do. He barely noticed the boy open his mouth as though he were about to speak again before closing it without a sound. "Is there something else?"

"Do you think it's possible that…Ansem would not want him cured either?" Blue eyes rose to meet surprised amber.

"Why would you ask that?" The large man placed a hand on the back of the boy's chair. "Ansem may be distracted by his current research, but he still cares for his people…even those in SOLDIER."

"I don't know, sometimes it feels as though his restrictions inhibit my progress by design," answered the slate-haired boy. "I know he would rather have me assist him with Even and Xehanort."

"Ansem has always encouraged us to follow our own lines of research as well as his," commented the elder of the pair. "ShinRa cannot be completely trusted…and we have no rights to their main labs over in Midgar. Of course Ansem would have you tread lightly; ShinRa is possessive of its SOLDIERS…and its secrets."

Ienzo nodded, "I'm surprised Turk has allowed me to learn as much as I have…although I suppose it's isn't much I couldn't guess already."

Eleaus rubbed the back of the boy's neck with his thumb as he watched him open yet another file; "Or maybe they want to see the general cured too and they know you're his best chance. If anyone knows not to trust ShinRa fully, it would be the Turks. They say-"

The large man paused when the adolescent suddenly stiffened and shifted his entire focus onto the pages in his hands. A slight tremble passed through the skin under the brunette's hand. "Ienzo…? What is it? What did you find?"

The slate-haired boy turned partially to hand the document to the older apprentice. "Look at this."

Amber eyes moved over the top page carefully, "It's a list of scientists that assisted Hojo after they discovered the undesired side effects in Genesis, isn't it? What's so strange about that?"

"Dr. Akeru is on there," commented the blue-eyed adolescent, still sounding slightly shocked. "Look at her clearance level."

The elder male took in the information indicated, "Well, we knew she was a highly trained and useful assistant; why would this be so surprising?"

"She would have known about his DNA structure…not enough to duplicate it, but enough to understand what he was and what they wanted of him," answered the boy. His eyes looked slightly distant as his mind turned to other thoughts. "Why didn't she ever say anything?" he questioned softly.

"Say something to whom…and to what purpose?" asked Eleaus as he took in the younger apprentices thoughtful expression. "There was a gag order on all of this, wasn't there?"

"But she's…" Blue eyes cleared slightly and gained a hint of anger. "She's Roth's _friend_. She should have anticipated this…or at least known of the possibility." The boy's anger seeped into his voice slowly, "Why didn't she warn him once this began? Why isn't she assisting me now, when I'm trying to help him?"

"Ienzo," the large apprentice gripped the adolescent's shoulder gently, "Calm down. Maybe she just didn't know how to help him and thought that telling him what she knew would only upset him."

"Well she could have told Ansem, or Fair, or me," countered the younger apprentice. "She could have saved weeks of research. We come closer to losing Roth entirely with every passing moment! Besides, he is going to learn about this eventually…of course he'll see that she must have known it all along. I cannot believe _I_ didn't realise that. What is he going to do then?"

"Either their friendship will survive it or it won't," stated Eleaus, wondering why the boy was getting so upset. "She has a child to look after. That has to be her first priority…and if she and the general are close enough for this to affect you so, then she must know how much you mean to each other as well. His cure is in good hands-"

"Don't try to placate me," Ienzo stated levelly. He had calmed enough to sound less distressed. "I could see why she wouldn't just announce this, but once it was clear he was suffering similar to the way the others did, she should have spoken up. It will only hurt him more to know she-"

The large man frowned when the younger male suddenly stopped speaking. The boy seemed to be doing some very quick thinking before he looked up at the older apprentice with a slightly lost expression. It was one of the few times he was fully aware of the boy's age. "Ienzo…?"

"She's tied my hands," stated the boy quietly, still looking at his friend as though he could somehow make sense of it all. "I can't tell Roth everything I've learned now…he'll know she lied. I thought that, until I could truly help him, I could put his mind at ease a little by giving him some information at least. It would be hard, but at least it's less frightening than being kept in the dark…"

Eleaus frowned at the cold tone the boy used to state this last fact. It reminded him of the way Ienzo spoke when he first arrived at Ansem's castle. He knew the child was speaking from experience. He silently stroked the adolescent's slate-coloured hair, not knowing of anything to say at the moment.

Ienzo placed the file back on the desk and then folded his hands over it, staring at them for a moment before speaking again. The elder was both relieved and troubled to note that he sounded somewhat as a lost child again. "It doesn't make sense…any of it."

Eleaus sighed, finally understanding what was happening. He resumed stroking the boy's hair as he looked out the window. "Not everything can be broken down and categorised, even to minds like ours. That's why Ansem and the others are so interested in his latest line of research. Most of these questions come down to the inner workings of the heart, and hearts are unpredictable. To understand them better would make sense of everything…but we aren't there yet."

"Then maybe I will join Ansem and Xehanort's research," commented the adolescent, sounding more like himself, "Once I've finished helping Roth."

The large man nodded, his thoughts and questioned focused on a different hoary-haired male than the two most of the castle and town were intrigued by. "Perhaps we both will."


	293. Clock

_Prompt: Clock_

_Given by: Reno's Boyfriend_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Post-KHII, Post-Last Resort_

_Pairings: Leon/Riku, implied Post-Sephiroth/OC  


* * *

  
_

Leon sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, rubbing a finger against his scar idly. He really preferred to do something more physical then working on a computer all day, but these files needed to be sorted and Riku needed more time for studies now that he was in college. Leon was relieved that at least Zack would be the one to have to translate the code once he sorted and downloaded them.

The sable-haired man glanced at the clock once again. It was later than he had suspected and Riku would probably be arriving soon. He decided they would stop somewhere for dinner on the way home…he doubted either of them would feel like cooking.

He stretched his back a bit and then smiled slightly as he caught the sound of light footsteps entering the room from behind him, their pace casual but a little tired. He turned his body to reach for the younger man, eyes opening to check his current progress on one of the monitors. "Do you want to stop by that little café and-"

Leon paused immediately when his hand landed on the body behind him. Instead of a firm waist, he felt the side of a ribcage through a thin linen shirt. He turned his head and automatically adjusted his gaze to meet Riku's, but instead of looking into a pair of cyan eyes, he found himself staring over a pair of goggles with some errant strands of fine red hair falling over them. He lowered his now shock widened eyes to meet Reno's, which reflected his own surprise back to him before amusement filled them.

The corner of the shorter man's lips curled upwards, "Sorry yo, but friends' boyfriends are off-limits." He gently removed the still shocked man's hand from his side. "If it's any consolation, I'd totally give you a shot if we were both single."

Leon frowned as his mind caught up and turned back to the computer immediately, not wanting the wiry redhead to see the embarrassed flush that was no doubt creeping up his neck. "What the hell are you doing here, Reno?" He knew his tone was more irritated than it should be.

The Turk sighed, "Yuffie was right; that is the problem with men these days. Once they see you aren't just a piece of butt-bait, they lose interest." Reno chuckled at the glare the older man gave him. "I'm meeting Riku and Axel here. Then, you and Ku can go to your romantic dinner while Axel fills me in on the latest details of their little plot before he goes and finds Gippal and Yuffie to fill them in."

Leon arched an eyebrow, "…And what will you be doing?"

The redhead shrugged and grinned, "Doesn't matter. Turk, yo…I have high standards for who I work with. It's Rude or no one." He frowned suddenly, "I really need to work on how I phrase these things. It's no wonder everyone swears I carry a torch for him."

"Couldn't be because you do?" questioned Leon dryly, smirking slightly at the glare the younger man shot at him. "So do I even want to know what their latest plot entails?"

"No, if I told you, I'd have to kill you," commented the redhead, "Then Riku would kick my ass and Axel would help him since he's Ku's bitch…and then Tseng would give me that 'what's in your head, boy' speech again and Rude give me that 'you're an idiot' look, and I hate that, yo."

Steel blue eyes blinked before moving to the Turk again. "You finished off all that leftover Halloween candy Rude gave you before you came here didn't you?"

"Naw, just most of it."

The Gunblade wielder sighed, "Great…so a sugar-hyped Turk, the Keyblade's twilight wielder, a formerly heartless pyrotechnic, a mechina genius, and a normally hyperactive ninja are all plotting something. Please just promise me you'll leave the town intact."

"Have we ever not?" asked the redhead innocently.

"…Whatever." Leon turned back to the computer.

Reno tilted his head slightly. "Why is it that whenever you say 'whatever' like that, I always get the impression you're actually saying 'fuck you'?"

"Because you're more observant then people give you credit for," replied the older man dryly. He looked back at the shorter man when he did not receive a reply right away.

The redhead was looking at the scarred man blankly. "That wasn't a come-on was it? 'Cause I'm really not into the whole cheating thing, yo."

The sable-haired man frowned and turned to cuff the Turk in the back of the head, but the wiry redhead ducked him and stepped up beside him with a small grin. "Riku's right, you are becoming more fun. Is it just that you're getting more action now or are you happy that psycho-daddy's getting leashed?"

Leon blinked and turned to look at Reno, glancing over him as though sizing him up before speaking evenly. "How do you know about any of that?"

"Because I'm more observant then people give me credit for," replied the younger man with a small smirk. The expression fell from his face suddenly, to be replaced by a curious look. "Hey, what was that?"

The former SeeD followed the Turk's gaze to the computer monitor, which still had coded data flying across the screen. "What was what?"

"Go back," the older man did not question the fact that he was following the order; something in the other man's tone told him that he had actually found something they would want to see. "Keep going, keep going…okay, stop, yo." Reno pointed to a section of code on the screen, "Right there. What the hell is that?"

"Uh, by the placement, I'd say it's the user signature of whoever made this file," replied the scarred man before glancing at the redhead curiously, "Can you read this code?"

"No, but I remember everything I read and I've read this before, yo." Reno turned his attention to Leon fully, "Where did you get this?"

Leon straightened, recognising that he was not just dealing with one of his boyfriend's annoying little friends anymore, but the Turk's second commanding officer. "It was already in the computer. I'm just sorting old data that Zack wanted to see before I wiped it out."

The redhead slipped between the taller man and the computer, setting it so he could manually sift through the file. "Why is ShinRa data on Ansem's old computer?"

The Gunblade wielder stepped back to allow the slender Turk to work, but remained close enough to watch what he was doing. "You know how to work a computer," he observed evenly, "…Really well."

"Despite the census based off my appearance and attitude, I'm actually _not _an idiot," replied the redhead as he continued browsing the file. "Okay, this was downloaded by someone else a few years after it was created…but who would have access to ShinRa's files?"

"I thought you couldn't read it," stated the scarred man, although he was also curious about the file now…and more importantly, why Zack wanted it.

"Rude taught me how to recognise what we were looking for during data retrieval missions, so we wouldn't waste anyone's research or technology that we didn't have to; he doesn't like wasted knowledge, yo." Reno dropped his hands to his sides and just stared at the screen for a moment, clearly thinking. "I think…I think Zexion's Other -whatever his name was- hacked Dr. Akeru's personal files after Sephiroth really started to lose it. But I don't know what information he got…Rude'll be able to translate it though."

Steel-blue eyes hardened, "Zack can translate it."

The redhead rolled his eyes, "You know I like Zack; he's a great guy, but he's ex-_SOLDIER_…he won't recognise what a Turk will. We know more than you think we do, yo; it's part of the job. If you just let us-"

"I don't want ShinRa involved," the taller man firmly interrupted. "I believe you know better than most just what that company is capable of. There are certain things we don't want them to know."

The younger man looked away with a frown, "I didn't say anything about getting ShinRa involved."

Leon turned his head so quickly he actually gave himself a mild whiplash. He rubbed his sore neck as he stared at the other man, "What?"

"Think about it," blue eyes turned to meet the taller man's, "I know about Zack's new plan for helping Sephiroth. You know I was there for the whole wing episode with Riku. I just told you that I'm not an idiot…I know who and what Riku is. Has ShinRa come for him yet?" Reno sighed and looked down at is boots. "I'm still loyal to the president, but I learned my lesson about following the company blindly a few years back, and the boss man…I think he learned his lesson too. He's not what everyone thinks he is either; he's not who he used to be, yo."

For the first time since they had met, the Gunblade wielder felt a pull of curiosity about the younger man's past, but that was quickly drowned out by a growing swell of fear. "Are you saying that Rufus Shinra knows about all of this?"

"No," Reno rolled his eyes, "Relax, yo. I'm sure the president knows more than we think, but that's just part of it. What I'm saying is that the boss hasn't asked and I haven't said anything and all of that really means something to someone who knows about ShinRa. Ask Zack or Cloud if you're confused."

Leon nodded, while he had no personal experience with ShinRa, he knew enough to understand what the shorter man was saying. He also felt too relieved to care about any lingering confusion. Then his thought halted as the other took on amore decisive tone and stated a name he had never heard the redhead speak before.

"Squall;" Reno waited until he was sure the older man's attention was back on their conversation before continuing. "You and Zack have been trying to solve this for almost a year now and, honestly, how much progress have you made on your own? Vincent and the royal rodent walked you through the introduction and I had to take over with the wing, yo. Maybe you guys need some help."

The scarred man crossed his arms over his chest and looked over the shorter male. "What are you offering?"

The Turk did not seemed fazed in the least, "You, me, Rude, and Zack meet here after everyone else has called it a night and start figuring this thing out so you and more importantly, Riku, can move on. I don't even see why it's such a big issue, yo."

Leon frowned and replied in a deadpan, "You have to be kidding."

The redhead shrugged, "Sephiroth and Cloud both had their heads messed with long before their wings popped out. I don't think Riku has to worry about being anyone's puppet. So what's the big deal then?"

"Do you know who your parents are?"

"My ma, yeah…"

"Not your father?"

"No and if my ma knew, she never said anything. It doesn't matter much to me though. I'm just Reno, yo, no matter who the bastard is." The younger man turned back to the computer monitor. "So are we gonna do this?"

The scarred man watched the shorter male thoughtfully for a moment, and then he too turned his gaze to the screen, "Just you and Rude, right? Not ShinRa?"

"Yep," blue eyes turned to watch the older man in a sidewise glance.

Leon furrowed his brows, "Are you sure Rude will agree to that?" The redhead arched an eyebrow and smirked as he turned to look at Leon, causing the steel-eyed man to roll his eyes, "…Never mind. I'll talk to Zack tonight after I drop Riku off. At this point, I'm willing to give almost anything a try if it means getting some answers."

"You don't think Zack's reached the same point?" Blue eyes flickered to the monitor again, "Why do you think Zack wants these files? I told you; this sort of thing is just as over his head as it is ours, if not more. So who's he planin' on showing them to?"

Leon frowned as he realised the Turk was right. Before he could comment, however, the younger male turned to the door and spoke in a casual tone. "Hey, 'bout time you two showed up. I think old Stone Cold here was starting to get suspicious, yo."

"As he should be," Axel commented as he and Riku entered the computer room. "Who could resist a sexy thing like me for long?"

Reno rolled his eyes, "I think all the time you've spent in high temperatures has fried your brain calls, yo. No one thinks you're as hot as you seem to."

The emerald-eyed man snorted, "You're just jealous."

Riku rolled his eyes as he passed his friends wordlessly and approached Leon. He leaned forward to kiss the older male, but paused before making contact, looking over his boyfriend's expression with a small frown. "What's wrong? Was Reno talking you to death?"

Axel chuckled as Reno turned his head to look at the couple, "Hey, I can hear you!"

"No, I think all his years with Rude and Tseng have taught Reno where to draw the line," commented Leon before shooting a glare at Axel. "Unlike some people…"

The former Nobody narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to argue, but Reno grabbed his shoulder and shoved the taller redhead towards the door. "Come on, I have things to do and you have plot details to lie out, yo. See you later, Ku."

Riku waved as the two redheads left, but quickly turned his attention back to the steel-eyed man beside him. He grinned slightly as he asked, "So do you think there's any chance of you getting along with any of my friends that actually live here?"

Leon thought of the irritating former nobody who hit on Riku constantly, the annoyingly hyper ninja who loved to torment him, the cocky and teasing Al Bhed, and finally the laidback Turk who he had been speaking to a moment before; "Half yes, half no."

The silver-haired teen smiled and draped his arms over the Gunblade wielder's shoulders, "Eh, I'll take what I can get." He then leaned forward to kiss his boyfriend thoroughly.

Leon decided to follow his young lover's unknowing advice. He could find out what Zack was up to later…in the meantime, he knew the older man would never do anything to put Riku at risk. He slipped one hand behind the small of Riku's back while he reached out beside him to shut down the computer with the other. "How about dinner, then?"

The turquoise-eyes teen grinned, "That sounds good." He turned to look at Leon once again as the older male led him out of the room. "So you'll tell me what was bothering you over dinner?"

The corner of the sable-haired man's mouth twitched. "I really need to start giving some of the others around here more credit…"


	294. Hairbrush

_Prompt: Hairbrush_

_Given by: Fawn_

_Setting: Radiant Garden; Pre-KH_

_Pairings: Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi)_

_Author's note: Well, I'm back in the fandom now. I won't be updating as quickly as I used to and it will likely take a few stories to get back into the swing of things but that's unavoidable, really. I have no idea where this one came from. I hope you all enjoy it anyway. _

_To those of you who have kindly encouraged me to continue with these, I thank you._

* * *

Hilargi ran an ornate hairbrush through her hair absently as she stared into her vanity mirror without really seeing anything it reflected.

She had always been the sort who had her feet firmly on the ground. She was practical, logical, a scientist through and through. Hilargi Akeru was not the type of woman to leap without looking and calculating the distance and wind share.

When she first found herself drawn to one of Dr. Hojo's test subjects, she had told herself she was just professionally intrigued. The experiment was fascinating and exciting. If the individual himself was just as fascinating and exciting, then that was all the better. She was interested in the side effects of the Jenova Project, after all.

The moment Hilargi started feeling something inappropriate for Sephiroth, she should have excused herself from the project or else stayed away from the SOLDIER whenever it was possible. She was also never one for self-delusion. She had long ago realized that her interests in him went beyond a scientist's simple intellectual curiosity.

Yet, Hilargi had continued seeing the SOLDIER. She had agreed without thinking twice when he asked her to dinner in a manner that made it clear the date was anything but work related. She had continued dating Sephiroth for _months_.

Now she was pregnant with a man who was -essentially- only half human; A man whose life would never be entirely his own. A man who had never had _real _parents and hadn't the first clue of how to interact with a child. A man who never quite seemed to grasp all the little nuances of human emotion…

A man whom she had fallen in love with and whom she knew was in love with her.

The thought of having the child was insane.

There were no tests she could perform (in secret) to establish if the Jenova cells were part of the baby she was now carrying. There would be no way to know how they would affect the child as he grew or how they would affect Hilargi as she carried him. She had no idea what kind of life she would be forcing her child to face and endure.

It terrified Hilargi to think of what Dr. Hojo would do if he learned that Sephiroth, his greatest experiment to date, had a child. Their child would have to bear the secrets of his parents. It would be terribly unfair to force that on anyone, let alone a child who had no choice in the matter and would be so burdened by it.

The thought of not having the child broke Hilargi's heart.

Hilargi was entirely human, Sephiroth had been born that way; there was the chance the child would be fine. There was the possibility that he would be the best both his parents had to offer. Hilargi wasn't sure that she could live with herself if she denied them the chance to find out what the child could be.

It pained Hilargi to think of what it would do to Sephiroth if he found out that he had come so close to having a family, to a life he never thought he _could _have, only to know one of the few people he trusted and loved had taken it from him. Despite his background, the SOLDIER would love and protect his child from beginning to end, she knew. His devotion alone might make up for their selfishness.

Thinking of the man she loved made Hilargi decide. She put down the hairbrush and picked up her cell phone to dial a very familiar number. She took a deep breath when she heard the voice-mail pick up.

"Sephiroth, its Dr. Akeru. I took ill and had to leave the office early today, but I brought some results home with me and I think it's best if I speak to you about them as soon as possible. Please return this call at your earliest convenience. Thank you."

That was that. Hilargi would have to leave ShinRa. It would be too dangerous for anyone there to suspect whose child she was carrying.

Ansem the Wise had offered her a position recently. She could take that without it looking too suspicious. If anyone put together the timeline, she could just state that Ansem's lab offered better hours and a safer work environment for a mother.

She nodded to herself and then looked in the mirror before her. This time, she took in her reflection.

Hilargi took comfort in the fact that both she and Sephiroth had excellent poker faces. At least their child should be able to lie convincingly when the time came.

…And it certainly would come.


	295. Understanding

_Prompt: Understanding_

_Given by: Fawn_

_Setting: Post-KHII; Post-__Clock__, Post-__Last Resort_

_Pairings: Zack/Aerith; implied Post-Sephiroth/OC (Hilargi)_

* * *

Zack stared at the teenager sitting across from him. Riku had gotten up before Aerith that morning; he had already cooked breakfast and set the table by the time she and Zack made it to the kitchen. Once they had all taken a seat and started eating, the silvered teen looked his godfather in the eye and stated that he needed to talk to him about something.

Zack felt a fleeting jolt of terror before he took in the aqua eyes that met his calmly. He could tell Riku was a little nervous about the upcoming conversation, but was also feeling determined and peaceful. A quick glance to his right told the ex-SOLDIER that Aerith was far too relaxed with the situation. Clearly, his wife and godson had planned this little ambush together.

Relaxing a little, Zack met Riku's gaze again; "Of course, Ku. What do we need to talk about?"

"My mother's research…and those tests you want done." Riku paused and licked his lips as he glanced down for the first time. He looked up again after a brief pause, his eyes honest. "I don't mean it like that. You aren't forcing me to-"

"I know what you meant, Ku." Zack reached across the table and covered one of Riku's hands with his own. While it hurt to think that Riku's initial statement was probably closer to the truth, Zack knew that the teen understood why the tests were important. That didn't mean he was any happier about the situation than his godson.

"It won't be like before;" Zack promised instead of apologizing. "We won't keep you in the dark. I just don't like the idea of hitting you with too much at once. After-"

"Zack, I understand all that." Riku interrupted gently. He took a steadying breath before going on. "I was talking to Axel after we sparred the other day…about when he was a Nobody and how he came back."

Zack wasn't sure where Riku was going with that, but he nodded for the boy to continue anyway.

"I'm getting really good at controlling by new abilities. You, Squall, Cloud, and Reno have already helped a lot by telling me what you have already. I think…I just needed to understand what I am before I could trust myself."

Riku smiled softly at his godfather. Zack felt his heart swell. "I'll still get any tests done that you think I need to confirm your suspicions and you can show the results to whoever you need to in order to help you understand. But I only need you to tell me anything that catches you by surprise or that you think I need to be aware of."

"Ku, are you sure?" Zack couldn't help but feel relieved through his surprise. He didn't want the teen to give up on learning about his heritage just to put him at ease though. "I understand if you want to know more. I just-"

"That's just it though; I _don't_ want to know more… I don't _need_ to know more." Riku was no longer smiling, but he didn't look distressed and his eyes were still calm and resolved. He didn't look nervous anymore either. "I thought I had to understand everything to be sure about myself."

The silvered teenager shrugged lightly. "But maybe understanding everything isn't so important if I just understand _me_. I know you want to know more and I trust you to tell me anything else I need to know. The rest will just weigh me down. I don't need it."

Zack blinked and thought for a moment. He was confused about where the teen's change in attitude had come from, but he could tell the boy was being honest. The former SOLDIER smiled. "What brought this on?"

Riku smiled lightly in return. "Like I said, I was talking this out with Axel…and I've talked to Sora, Reno, Yuffie, Squall, Cid, _you_. Even virtual DiZ has commented on it. I know what it's like to lose control to something and someone. I'm not going to fall for anything like that again.

"Darkness, light, Keyblades, S cells; it's still _me_. Maybe it's time I tried trusting myself." Riku shrugged slightly. "I think I'll be okay. If anything does happen, I have you."

Zack was lost for words. Aerith smiled beside him and shook her head slowly.

"Besides," Aerith reached over and placed a hand on her husband's thigh. "You were the one who wanted to learn everything from the start. Riku just wanted to know what you were worried about. He never asked about the details."

The ex-SOLDIER was about to argue when he realized his wife had a point. Riku had never pushed about the Jenova project. If anything, the boy had seemed happy to let Zack oversee the research back when he had insisted on it. Riku's only expressed concern had been that he did not want to be kept in the dark about it all.

Zack placed the hand that wasn't covering Riku's over his wife's smaller one. "I never had anything to worry about, did I?"

Riku arched an eyebrow. "Well, I did sprout a wing and bleed over everything the other night...and I can still hear _him_ in my head sometimes. But I've got that covered."

Zack nodded sadly. "Still, that would be what the tests are for… so maybe next time, we won't be caught by surprise."

"Assuming there is a next time," Riku pointed out. He turned his hand and gave the larger one resting above it a squeeze. "I understand, Dad. Don't worry about it so much."

Zack was smiling so hard his cheeks were sore and he could feel tears building in his eyes. "Yeah." he chuckled lightly and tried to discreetly blink back the tears. "I'll work on that."

Riku grinned and turned his attention back to his pancakes. Aerith giggled quietly beside him before returning to her own breakfast. The rest of the morning was filled with the family talking of plans for the day and teasing each other before they eventually parted ways to go about their day.

Zack found that he didn't worry about his godson so much that day, and he was still grinning when he came home to Aerith and Riku that night.


End file.
